Angel of Winter
by JupiterGodess
Summary: Karin had always noticed strange things happening around her. Then, one fateful night, she is attacked by a demon, and nothing is like before anymore. Angel AU ToshiroxKarin
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

He glided through the air. Powerful wingbeats propelled him forward, the air rushing in his ears. Beneath him, the lights of a huge city spread out and illuminated the night.

,Stupid humans. By creating their own light, they can't see the beauty of the stars anymore. They're going to forget it. And for all their light, they can't see the shadows anymore.'

But bringing humans back on the right path was not why Toshiro was here. God didn't want slaves, which was why he had left humans their free will once they had gained it.

The white-haired angel scanned the land beneath him carefully.

,Where are you, bastard?'

Bad enough that he, a member of the angelic choir of the Cherubim, the second-most powerful angels, had needed to be sent here. Now that accursed demon had apparently decided it would be fun to play hide and seek. The worst part? Nobody knew what kind of demon it was. Only that it was so powerful that it warranted sending a Cherub to Earth. None of the lower-ranked angels chasing him had ever returned.

And not even Toshiro had found anything yet. He struggled greatly to keep his swearing back. It wasn't appropriate for an angel of his rank.

,What abomination has hell spawned this time?'

He gave another beath with his wings, which were colored in various shades of white and blue.

,Just you wait, I'll get you.'

Toshiro disappeared into the night sky.

Author's note: Hello dear readers! And welcome to a lenghty – and hopefully worthwile – fanfiction about Toshiro and Karin. As you may have guessed by now, it is set in an angel AU (one on which I most likely am going to expand later). I cannot say how frequently I will upload, since I have to translate it into two other languages aside from English, and it kinda gets a little longer than I expected. But if anything goes well, I may upload once a week at least, perhaps eventually being able to update even more frequently.

Anyhow, this is JupiterGoddess, and I hope you'll enjoy this story. Have a nice day, everyone! ;)


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Karin's foot connected with the white and black ball. It shot through the air – and crashed into the net, missing the goal-keeper's fingertips by millimeters.

„Yes!"

Cheers echoed across the soccer field. The black-haired girl exchanged high-fives with her excited team-mates, jubilant herself. The game was kinda important for her school's soccer club, and this goal had settled their victory. There were fifteen minutes left to play, and Karin's team was leading with 6 to 3.

„Let's go wrap this up!", she cheered her team-mates on. A deafening „YEAH!" was the answer.

Fifteen minutes later, the game was over and won. Karin let herself fall into the grass, panting. The opposing team had tried its best to turn the tables – to no avail. Neither team had scored another goal, which was just fine for Karin and her team-mates. The end score had remained 6 to 3 for Karakura High and thus a solid win.

„Great job, Karin!"

The black-haired girl looked up. A few team-mates stood over her, one of them extending a hand to her.

She miled and let herself be pulled to her feet.

„You guys were great too."

Everyone returned home to refreshen. After a shower, Karin changed into comfortable clothes. Then she hurried out of the house again, yelling her sister Yuzu and brother Ichigo goodbye. She ran through the streets, eager to join the others. Suddenly, an icy chill and sense of dread washed over her, stopping her in her tracks.

„What the hell?!"

She looked around everywhere, but there was nobody and nothing. But Karin could have sworn she had seen blue feathers for a moment.

,Oh boy, not again.'

Karin had had such visions and feelings before. Sometimes, they even krept into her dreams. It was really annoying. And she wisely had kept silent, as not to make a fool of herself in front of others.

But she certainly was not going to let it ruin this glorious day. She ran on. The team met at their club room at Karakura High and spent the afternoon celebrating their victory. They surely had deserved it; not only had they come far in general over the past two years, but their opponents today had been a strong team, too. One that Karakura High had lost plenty of times before.

Today had been payback.

As Karin watched her team-mates partying cheefully, she couldn't help but feel proud of them. The team had become very dear to her. It was unusual for a girl to join her school's soccer team, but the guys had accepted Karin wilingly from the start. No taunts. No mockery. Just playful banter. Fort hat she would be always grateful.

When afternoon began turning into evening, they packed up and left under cheerful goodbyes, headed homewards. It was Saturday, so they could sleep in the next day. But today had been long enough, and everyone was glad to finally get home and get a good, long shower.

Karin shared shared part of her way with three of the guys. Together, they strolled along the streets of Karakura Town, joking and generally having a good time.

Eventually, they came to a crossing, where Karin had to turn right, while the others continued on.

„See ya on Wednesday for training!", the black-haired girl called to them before running down the street.

„See ya, Karin!"

As the young Kurosaki hastened towards her home, her mind already wandered to what she was going to do there. Her mouth began to wate ras she imagined all the delicacies her twin Yuzu would have cooked up. They were twins – but one would never guess it by simply seeing them. Not only did they look differently. While Karin was more of a tomboy, it was Yuzu who had inherited all the female qualities of their late mother. Good looks, a faible for fashion and beautiful things; great cooking skills and overall talent for all things domestic. More importantly, Yuzu seemed to highly enjoy it, too.

Karin heaved a heavy sigh.

Sometimes, she wished she was a little more like her twin sister. Boys instantly drifted towards Yuzuu, and Karin could absolutely see why.

,Sigh… but it would be nice to have a boyfriend.'

She herself had never been popular with boys the way her twin sister was. Sure, they accepted her, but non had ever been closer to her than simple buddies. None of them had trying to make advances at her like they did with Yuzu. At first, it hadn't bothered Karin too much. But after seeing her female friends starting to date boys, however, Karin began to wonder what it would be like to fall in love. She just had not yet met anyone who struck that right chord inside of her. And her self-critisim allowed her to suspect what the problem was.

,Am I… am I too fierce, too tomboyish for them?'

What was more, Karin was unwilling to change so fundamentally for anyone. If her boyfriend couldn't accept her the way she was, he was probably not the right one after all.

Karin turned into an empty street close tot he one she lived in. It wasn't far to her house now.

That was when it happened.

She was lost in thought, but when suddenly the streetlights went out, she snapped back to attention.

„What the…"

Was it a power outage? But if so, why where the lights in the houses still burning? And why was the air suddenly so heavy, making it so difficult to breathe? A scent rose to her nose. No, not a scent… a stench.

Then the screetch tore appart the night.

Karin had never heard such a horrible sound before. It made her freeze in horror. Plus… it had come from right behind her.

Somehow, she willed her body to move and whirled around.

Behind her, a large mass of darkness blocked out part of the sky. It had a shape, but more monstrous than anything Karin had ever seen. And it radiated such evil that it robbed her breath and sent chills of utter panic down her spine.

The thing shrieked again and two glowing red opened in the mass of darkness.

With a scream, Karin stumbled backwards and landed on her behind. As the monster lifted an arm, she began to crawl as fast as she could.

„No, no, no!"

Karin pulled together all her strenght, turned, got to her feet and wanted to run. Except that huge claws closed around her with merciless strenght and lifted her into the air.

„NOOO!"

Out of her mind with panic, Karin screamed and thrashed, trying her hardest to get free. To no avail. The claws lifted her higher and higher. The monster's purpose was crystal clear now.

With eyes wide in terror, the black-haired girl stared into the vast mouth opening beneath her. Her panic grew so strong that her body just went motionless. Her brain refused to understand what was happening to her.

,Is… is this? Am I going to die? Eaten by a monster? Yuzu… Ichi-nii… dad…'

That was when she saw something so startling, that it made her forget her fear. Something that even made the monster stop mid-motion. Something that was impossible for this time of year.

A snowflake.

A single, beautiful white snowflake came gently tumbling down from the sky. Nothing special in itself. Except that the sky had been clear – and that it was the middle of August.

,What the…'

The temperature seemed to suddenly drop several degrees. Her breath escaped her in white clouds. And the clear and fresh scent of snow rose to her nose, driving away the monster's stench.

„What the…"

Several things happened at the same time. The monster screetched deafeningly. The next moment, Karin flew through the air; the thing had tossed her away! In Karin's mind, she already saw her splattered on the ground, a mass of blood and flesh. But seconds later, there was a flurr of feathers, a strong arm closed around her waist, stopping her fall.

„Wha… wha…"

Karin's mind still tried to process what just had happened. She was obviously still alive, because her heart was racing harder than ever before, thumping painfully against her chest. Then her brain spewed the next logical question.

How was she still alive?

Someone or something had attacked the monster and caught her in the air. But how was that possible? Who or what could have had the strenght…

Karin's thoughts trailed off. She had noticed blue feathers in the corners of her eyes. Blue… feathers… but that was impossible.

She looked up. And stared right into an angel's mesmerizing turquoise eyes, stunning wings in different shades of blue and white around them.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Toshiro stared up at the demon. It was still screetching in pain. Dark, almost black blood gushed from the wound.

,Time to end this.'

He sent some of his power into his sword, then struck. The shimmering blade formed a trail of ice through the air as he unleashed the energy.

The demon howled. However, Toshiro's ice never hit it. With a speed the angel hadn't expected, the monster lifted its arm. Blood gushed, but the wound was not fatal to the demon. Instead, it gave one last scream, a black portal behind it and it jumped through.

Just like that, the demon was gone.

Toshiro sighed in annoyance. Inwardly, he cursed the in a way no servant of the Lord should. But his frustration about this missed chance was just too great. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it now anyways. Besides…

He let his sword dissolve and glanced at the human in his arms. It was a girl, almost a young woman, with shoulder-long, black hair boudn in a ponytail, and dark eyes.

In which a fire burned.

For a moment, Toshiro was perplexed by the aura the girl radiated. Heated, passionate, the exact opposite of himself. A determination not easily deterred. It was an aura unlike any Toshiro had ever seen among mortals.

But more importantly…

„So you were able to see everything?"

Slowly, a dazed expression on her face, the girl nodded. Toshiro's frown deepened.

„How very curious", the blue-winged angel murmured to himself. „Mortals shouldn't be able to see demons or angels."

With a flap of his wings, he landed back on the ground and gently set the girl on her feet. She swayed a little, her legs threatening to give in. A quick grab for her arm prevented her from falling. She still looked flabberghasted.

„What… how…"

Toshiro understood her reaction. I was extremely difficult for mortal minds to comprehend the reality of things. Then again, most mortals did not see through the veil that separated the human world from the world of angels and demons. And most humans did not face death so closely at this young an age.

Ths girl, however…

With a start, Toshiro noticed that she was on the verge of a panic attack. He quickly sent out calming energy into her body. It took effect instantly. The girl's breath and heartbeat gradually slowed again.

„It's okay", he reassured her in the most soothing voice he could muster. „You're safe now."

The girl was calmer, but when she glanced up at him, her eyes were still wide.

„T-those are w-wings", she stammered. „Y-you're an a-angel."

„Yes. But there is nothing to worry about. Everything is perfectly fine. Just try to remain calm. Breathe."

She took a few deep breaths. In a voice already steadier, she asked: „What… what was that monster?"

„Slowly there, slowly." Toshiro caught her eyes with his and tried to give her all the reassurance he was capable of. Right now, he needed her to focus on something simple, basic, in order for her to regain focus. „Let's not get hasty. What is your name?"

„Karin… K-Karin… Kurosaki…"

„You'll be fine, Karin. Do you hear me?"

The blue-winged angel had used her name on purpose, in an attempt to give her something to focus on, a sense of normality. He gazed into her eyes as he said it. When she nodded, he could see that she truly was good again.

,Wait… what am I doing?'

That thought hit him like a punch. Why actually was he trying so hard with this girl? Sure, as an angel of the order of Cherubim, it was his duty to aid the humans if possible. But with Karin, it was different. He did not want to help her simply out of a sense of duty. Toshiro had just seen a girl attacked by the demon he had been hunting. But for some reason, he had felt an compelling urge to save her, much stronger than with any of the humans he had saved before.

,Get a grip on yourself!', he chided himself. He pushed the matter aside as a minor side effect of returning to the world of humans, and willed his focus back on the matters at hand.

Karin still stared at him with wide eyes. Her being able to see angels and demons could in fact pose a problem. Especially since it seemed to be an innate power that allowed her to do so, a power that radiated off her like the warmth of a fire.

And that would undoubtedly attract more demons.

At least, she had calmed down now. Toshiro couldn't help but find it remarkeable how well she took the entire situation now. Not every human would be as brave and bounce back from nearly being killed. And when she finally spoke, her words were not what the white-haired angel had expected.

„Can I touch them?"

Toshiro was so surprised by that question, that his eyebrows shot upwards. „Come again?"

„Your wings. Can I touch them?"

He felt a laugh bubble up in his chest. Were he less stern, he might have even let it out.

When he had been a young angel, the others had avoided, even feared him at times because of his turquoise eyes, white hair and wings the color of ice. Yet here was this human girl, unafraid to look him into the eyes and even asking to touch his wings. It stirred something in his centuries old soul that made him do something that he had done only twice before.

He allowed it.

„You may", he said and even managed a faint smile.

Wonder gleamed in her eyes as she gently traced her fingers across the feathers. Angel wings were not too sensitive, though their bearers may choose for one or another reason not to let anyone else touch them, for they were still an intimate part of an angel, part of what made their being. Toshiro was one of those.

Surprisingly, Toshiro found that he liked the soft touch of her fingers as they explored the feathers.

,Oh, for heaven's sake', he moaned inwardly. ,What' is going on?'

Angels and humans weren't supposed to mingle. He shouldn't let this girl get to him like this. And yet…

„My name is Toshiro Hitsugaya", he finally said. „I am an angel of the order of Cherubim."

That seemed to rip Karin out of her reveree. Her dark grey eyes met his.

„So… angels and demons do really exist."

It was a statement, not a question. Yet he nodded. „Yes. I know it's hard to believe for a mortal. But we do exist." A frown curled his eyebrows. „Still, it is odd that you can see me. That you could see that demon. Usually, a veil of magic separates the human world from the supernatural realm. To protect humans, for reality may be too much for some to handle. But for some reason, you can see straight through it. I wonder why…"

„What does that mean?"

„I don't know. Over the millennia, only a handful of people had ever possessed that ability." Toshiro sighed. „Normally, I'd take your memory of this incident away. But this goes far beyond that."

„What?!" An expression of shock and indignancy flashed across Karin's face. „Deleting my memory?! No way I'd allow that!"

What in the name of everything good was it with this girl? Toshiro hoped for the sake of his dignity that his raised eyebrows didn't look too ridiculous in that moment. Here was this mortal, with the guts to talk to a Cherub like this!

„That is not yours to decide", he brought himself to say. „Our world is hidden fort he safety of you humans. And mankind is not yet ready for the truth."

„I…"

The angel threw her a glance that made her stop her protest. He was starting to get slightly annoyed with her talking back at him. Plus, he was not yet as confused as to take this matter lightly. After all, it was a matter about one simply did not joke around.

„I… I see", whas all she got out in the end.

Toshiro sighed. Glanced up at the sky that had turned dark in the meantime. He frowned angrily, for he could again not see the stars.

,These stupid humans… this is gonna be such a huge trouble.'

But he couldn't leave this girl on her own. She had seen too much already, an innocent bystander dragged into this mess against her will. And that aura of hers… it was a great spiritual energy, that burned inside her like a strong flame.

„Listen, you should go home now and get some rest." He looked at her. „Tomorrow, we'll decide on how to proceed. And then I will also answer the countless questions you have."

„I… well…" Karin was clearly looking for arguments. Finding none, she slumped her shoulders in defeat. „Okay."

,Aah, finally. Atta girl.'

For a moment, Toshiro pondered wether to tell her that this energy of hers was making her a desireable prey for demons. She could brace herself for another attack if she knew. This particular demon would be attracted particularly much. But in the end, he decided against it. By this time tomorrow, he intended to have dealt with the threat. After that, there was going to still be time to decide on what to do with Karin. Besides, if she knew of the danger, she might fall into a panic attack.

Toshiro accompanied the black-haired girl the short way to her home, for once not flying, but walking beside her. He could sense her fear, her confusion. And despite the millions of questions he felt in her, she walked quietly brooding. It wrestled some respect from the angel.

Finally, they reached her house. In front of the door, she turned to him. „You promise I'll see you tomorrow?"

That question coaxed a faint smile from the blue-winged angel. „I promise."

Apparently, Karin saw something in her eyes that made her trust his words, and she nodded. „Then take good care of yourself, Toshiro."

„You too, Karin."

After she disappeared into the house, Toshiro took off into the air. He didn't fly far, though – exactly as far as the house's roof. There he perched like a bird of prey, like one of those old stone gargoyles adorning European castles and churches. There were three people in the house beneath him. Karin herself. A second girl, her twin siser Yuzu. And a man named Isshin, their father.

Once he sensed that she was lying in her bed, the angel touched her mind gently with a bit of his energy. With that, he sent her straight into a dreamless, relaxing sleep. He knew that otherwise, she might have stayed up for hours, pondering what had happened. However, she was going to need her strenght tomorrow, so she needed to be well rested.

Toshiro checked that everything in the house below was as it should be. Leaving some of his energy in order to be alerted to any danger approaching, he opened his wings and, with a mighty flap, took off.

It was time to finally get rid of a certain demon.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Slowly, Karin resurfaced from her slumber. She felt more relaxed than she had in a long time, and thus, it took her a while to get fully awake.

Eventually, she willed her eyes to open. The curtains were drawn, but they were thin enough to let a little bit of sunlight through.

,The sun's already up?'

A glance at her alarm clock showed her that it was half past eight.

„Already so late?", she mumbled into the pillow and rubbed her face.

Then the memories came back and she jolted upright in her bed.

,What… what the hell happened yesterday?' Karin gripped her forehead when a little wave of nausea hit her. ,Was it a dream? Or… was it actually all real?'

She thought of that angel with white hair, turquoise eyes and wings in magnificent shades of blue. He looked kinda like an ice statue come to life. Beautiful. Cold.

It sure felt like a dream to her. But then Karin remembered the icy cold aura radiating off the angel, the cool touch of his hands. And she realised that everything must have been real after all.

The black-haired Japanese climbed out of bed, pulled apart the curtains and opened the window. As a breeze blew inside, she inhaled deeply. Then she gazed out at the blue sky. Her mind drifted away. But eventually, Karin caught herself looking for a pair of blue wings on the sky. They weren't there.

Dream or not, Karin found that she would be very disappointed if Toshiro didn't show up like promised. She really wanted to see the angel again.

,So angels and demons really exist…'

It sounded so incredible. Yet at the same time, it explained why Karin had always seen and heard stuff ever since she had been little. However, she had also learned really quickly to hide it. Because whenever she didn't, people had started to avoid her.

It had been painful.

With a sigh, Karin turned away from the window and started getting ready for the day. Her head felt like bursting. Perhaps a dose of normality would help her to clear it again.

Fifteen minutes later, she walked down the stairs, to the lower floor. In the dining room, she found her brother and sister eating breakfast.

„Hey Yuzu, hey Ichi-nii", she said as she sat down and helped herself to a bowl of cereals and a glass of milk.

„Morning, Karin", her orange-haired brother greeted her.

„Hey, Karin!", Yuzu beamed at her twin sister. „Congratulations again on your win yesterday. I wish I could have seen it. Did you at least have a nice party?"

Karin couldn't help but smile. Her sister's bubbly demeanor always lifted her spirits. So when she answered, she had no trouble hiding her confusion and worry about last evening's events.

„I had." It wasn't even a lie. „We really had a blast."

„I'm glad. You guys really deserved it."

After a bite of cereals, Karin asked: „Where's dad?"

„Already at work in the clinic", Ichigo answered with a shrug. „There seems to have been an accident nearby, and all clinics in the area have been asked to help."

„I see…"

Isshin Kurosaki was a sometimes weird man. However, there was no denying that he was hard-working too. That he loved his children. That he did everything for them.

Karin sighed. „I sure hope he doesn't over-exert himself."

After she helped Yuzu clear the table, she returned to her room. Somehow, she managed to get some learning done for an exam she had the following week. How she managed to keep her thoughts off demons and a certain white-haired angel, she couldn't tell. After lunch, however, which was another delicacy served by Yuzu, Karin had to get some fresh air. She decided to go for a walk in a nearby, small but pretty park.

At the edge of a small pond, there stood a bench. Karin sat down on it and gazed at the water. She liked this place; it was one of the few that helped her calm down.

And boy, did she need it.

Ever since the demon's attack last night the world seemed like a dream. In truth, Karin wondered none of the others had noticed anything was bothering her.

,I guess that means I am a better actress than I thought.'

The biggest question on her mind, however, was: How was it supposed to go from here on? The knowledge that demons and angels really existed, only increased her sense of loneliness, of isolation.

,And I am not even Christian, for crying out loud.'

Her world was the world of kami and of yokai. But what had stumbled into her life were angels and demons. Beings of judeo-christian origins.

,This is so crazy.'

As if on cue, she heard a rushing sound, and in the corner of her eye, she saw a blue feather tumbling to the ground. The temperature seemed to instantly drop for at least two degrees.

Despite herself, her heart gave a little leap.

„You came back."

„As I promised. And I don't have the habit of breaking my word."

Toshiro stood next to her. Strangely enough, none of the other people in the park seemed to notice him. It must be the veil he had mentioned, the one that separated the supernatural world from the human one. Luckily, there was nobody within earshot to find it strange to hear her talking to air.

„It's not like that", she said, unable to keep herself from smiling at his dry comment. She instantly turned serious again, however. „It's just… I still can't believe this is all real. At times, it still feels like a dream."

A soft rustling came from the stunning wings as the angel shifted and fixed his eyes on two children on the other side of the pond. „That is understandeable."

Karin silently contemplated Toshiro from the side. His blue, wide clothes swayed in the wind. Her eyes quickly settled on those wings that seemed all the shades of water and ice, she tried to collect her thoughts.

From the depht of her soul, a flicker of her old determination began to rise. Together with a tiny spark of annoyance about her having apparently to pry all the information from him. However, it gave her the courage to start asking those million questions buzzing in her head since waking up.

„So there are angels and demons", she began. „And you are here to hunt demons, have I gotten that right?"

Toshiro turned his head and his turquoise eyes bore into hers. An involuntary shudder ran down Karin's spine. More so than his wings, they gave the impression of ice, causing an actual sense of cold.

„Yes and no." Before Karin could voice a protest about this nothing-saying answer, the angel continued. „It is true, we angels fight demons whenever we meet them. Or rather… purify them."

„Okay, now you've lost me. Purify?"

Toshiro shifted again, his wings producing that distinct rustling sound Karin wouldn't soon forget. He looked up at the sky again.

„Most demons running wild are lesser ones, tormented human souls fallen into the clutches of evil and by it transformed into these monsters. Those, we do not actually kill. Whenever we cut them down, the soul is released and purified, able to proceed into heaven. Then there are those, however, whose wretchedness turned them into demons and is so big, that they are beyond salvation. Those end up in hell instead."

He gave her a brief glance. „Are you following?"

„Until now, yes", the black-haired Japanese said slowly. It was still a lot to swallow, but at least it was easy to understand.

„Good." His eyes on the sky again, Toshiro continued. „As for my being here…" He sighed. „Good grief, I need to get into more detail than I wanted." A pause. „You need to know that there's a hierarchy among angels. There are nine ranks, you could say, called Choirs. I am a member of the eight choir, the Cherubim." He looked at Karin again. „By any rights, I shouldn't be here. Usually, the demons dwelling on Earth are weak enough so the lower ranks can handle them."

„But now there has appeared a demon so strong that a Cherubim was required to death with it", Karin said into the tiny pause. To her, it was the only logical explanation.

Toshiro lifted an eyebrow, looking almost… impressed. Something that irked Karin. Apparently, the angel underestimated her. And she did not like being underestimated. By nobody.

„That is correct. And the fact that it manages to still elude even me proves how dangerous it is." His eyes suddenly turned focused, his gaze seeming to pierce straight into her soul. „Which brings me to our current problem."

„P-problem?" Karin did not like the sound of that at all.

The white-haired angel opened and closed his wings in an annoyed gesture, creating a small gust of wind.

„I intended to slay the demon last night, but I did not manage to find it again. In fact, it was lucky for you that in its hunger for souls it got careless for a moment, and I was close enough to make it in time."

„Oh…" Karin swallowed. Her still struggling mind tried to comprehend how close she had been to death. It threatened to make her loose the feeble grip on reality she had managed to regain. Karin wasn't a squeamish girl. But all this… it was a damn lot to digest.

But then she saw his eyes. Something in them… touched her. As if there was a great loneliness buried beneath a mount of ice. And it woke the sudden urge in her to help him.

Stupid idea? Most likely. But Karin was the kind of person who stuck to her decision once she made up her mind about something.

„Look", she said and put on the most determined face she could muster. „I am just a human. But I want to help you in any way I can."

At those words, Toshiro looked downright baffled. If the situation wasn't so serious, Karin might have laughed at seeing that expression on the usually stern face.

He sighed. „I do appreciate your selfless offer. However, as you stated, you're just a human. I don't mean to be offensive, but it's true. Against a demon, you wouldn't stand the slightest of chances. I don't want to get you into any danger. You have to stay out of this."

„But there has to be something I can do!"

„There isn't."

Something about that answer ticked Karin off. There was it again, that looking down on her, the underestimating her.

„Look", she said angrily. She even had to supress the urge to jump up and yell at him – that, the few visitors to the park would notice. „I am already up to my head in this mess .I really do appreciate the noble thought that you want to protect me. But I have always followed my own path, and I certainly am not going to stop doing that right now."

„You don't know…"

„Oh, I think I do know!" Karin's voice, despite her attempts, grew louder. „Demons are dangerous! But I never said I want to fight them! Though I would like to do that. They attacked me, after all. Again, I'm already dragged into this… mess, as you put it. So let me at least assist you in any way I can."

A cold flame seemed to burn in Toshiro's eyes, searing right into her, making her flinch. The angel opened his mouth to say something.

Only that he didn't get to it anymore.

An alarming tingle in her neck made Karin's gaze shoot upwards. She barely noticed that Toshiro did the same thing. And in the same moment she yelled: „ABOVE!", his sword appeared in a flash of metal.

 **Author's note** : The most difficult part with this chapter was Karin's reaction the day after such a massive revelation like angels and demons really existing. However, I still tried to let her stubborn, hot-headed nature shine through, and I hope I managed that, and will manage in the future.

Anyhow, the action is picking up, folks! )


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Toshiro moved at the lightning speed that came natural to most angels. He too had noticed the dark aura of the demon moving through the in-between.

Metal flashed in the sunlight.

Of course this lowly demon had stood no chance against a member of the choir of Cherubim. One swift strike and a jump supported by a flap of wings was all it took for Toshiro to cut the leaping demon in half. It had attempted a sneack attack, approaching them in the in-between, then jump at his unsupsecting prey from above.

Except it had underestimated said prey.

Toshiro looked one more second at the glittering dust into which the demon had dissolved. This soul was free now and would find rest in Heaven. Then the angel landed back on the ground and turned towards Karin.

She stared at him with wide eyes, but more in awe than in fear.

„That… was super fast", she brought out in a whisper.

There was too much wishing to possess such speed as well in her voice for Toshiro's liking. But he decided to put his anger aside for the moment. Something more important had just come up.

„You felt that demon, didn't you."

It was a question and a statement at the same time. The black-haired human girl nodded.

„I guess I did." Her expression was pensieve, her eyes clearly on the past. „You know… I have always seen and heard weird stuff since I can remember. I guess I know now why."

„What did you just say?", Toshiro asked in alarm.

Karin raised her eyebrows. „I said that I have always seen and heard weird stuff since I can remember."

„Is that so…"

Toshiro studied Karin with new interest – and worry.

This seemed big. Bigger than he had anticipated. As things looked right now, she had some innate powers, one of them being the ability to sense the presence of demons. Not even him, an ancient and mighty being, had encountered something of the kind ever before.

Suddenly, Karin's eyes lit up and a grin appeared on her face. „Hey, if I can sense demons, can't I help you find the one you're after?"

Toshiro didn't reply immediately. He tried to figure out how to proceed best. He still didn't want Karin to get near that demon again. Something he really shouldn't be feeling. And the fact that she was capable of sensing the presence of demons was not to belittled, either. In fact, it could be of utmost importance. And who knew what other powers lay dormant in this mortal.

A thought occured to him and he asked her: „Can you sense me too?"

„Yes." Karin closed her eyes for a moment before looking at him again. „I feel a touch of cold. A whiff of winter and snow. I can even smell it in the air."

„How interesting… so you can sense angels as well as demons. In fact, I do hold dominion over snow, ice and winter."

Toshiro studied the mortal more closely this time. This revelation changed everything. She was probably right: Without anyone's doing, she was ineed in this far too deep. Not that it would change the fact that he would let her near any demon.

„Is… is it that rare an ability?"

Karin tried her best to hide it, but the angel could tell by the question that she was uncomfortable with the situation. He could sense it, too.

„Actually, it's the first time I have encountered this", he said, a little placated. „There have been other mortals with powers, but none with such like yours. No need to worry, though. We'll do something about it. If whatever powers are hidden inside of you remain uncontrolled, it won't bode well for you. You'll need to be taught how to handle it."

Karin swallowed, but then glared at him defiantly. „Are you trying to scare me? If you intend to keep me from trying to help you, I inform you that it won't work. Besides, you haven't answered my question yet."

Instantly, the placating feeling was gone. So this little girl was choosing the obnoxious way?

„I did not intend anything of the sort", Toshiro said, letting ice stream into his voice. He noticed her shudder and was satisfied. „And whatever you are going to say, I will not let you fight." A pause. „However, there might be a way you could help me in a different way. It's not entirely without risk, but…"

Her eyes lit up. „Tell me what I can do!"

„The demon I told you about", the blue-winged angel said, „is good at hiding its presence, if you remember."

She nodded. „Yeah…"

„What I want you to do is trying to locate it. Perhaps you can succeed where so many angels have failed. After all, the ways of the Lord are mysterious. But I have to warn you. There is a chance that it will attract unwanted attention."

„I'll do it", Karin explained without the slightest hesitation and too much eagerness for his liking. Toshiro didn't know wether to admire her bravery or curse her foolishness.

Without saying another word, she closed her eyes.

As he watched her, Toshiro could sense tension building inside him. Something he usually wasn't prone to, but given the situation, he was not surprised. After all, he had hunted that demon for a while now, and this could be the chance to finally get rid of it. The sooner the better, for it seemed unusually dangerous and mustn't be allowed to roam the world for much longer.

Then there was also the matter of Karin's power.

As if on cue, Karin opened her eyes. Toshiro felt an unexpected and unfamiliar rush of disappointment when she shook her head and said: „I do feel some evil presences around. But the one that attacked me yesterday is nowhere."

„Tch…" Toshiro swore inwardly. „This demon is unusually adept at hiding its presence."

„Or maybe it's just out of range?", Karin suggested.

The blue-winged angel raised an eyebrow in surprise. „You mean like cell phones in an area with no connection?"

„Yeah, yeah!" Karin nodded excitedly. „I don't know everything about this power. But it feels to me like I can sense presences only over a certain area, and not throughout the entire city."

„I see…"

Toshiro couldn't help but feel impressed at how quickly she was learning how her powers worked. And she seemed quick-witted, too, coming up with that idea of her powers functioning similar to cell phones. Then a gain, he himself never used human technology.

A plan began to form in his mind immediately. It wasn't difficult, really.

„Do you have anything planned for this afternoon?"

„Huh? No, why?"

The angel stared into her eyes. „Because we're going for a little flight."

Fifteen minutes later, they were gliding through the air above the skyscrapers and other buildings of Karakura Town. To Toshiro's surprise, she had been much less afraid of flying than he had expected. In his experience, wingless beings were usually afraid of great altitudes. But not Karin. Her eyes had lit up when he had told her of his plan to fly over the city and try to find the demon that way.

At first, she had clung to him rather tightly. Which was only natural. Some inborn instinct not even this brave mortal could not overcome. But the longer they flew, the more he could feel her relax.

,She really is not afraid.'

After allowing himself to marvel at this mortal's courage, he focused on flying and his surroundings again. Just like Karin, he stretched out his senses and tried to pick up on the energy of the demon he was hunting.

At first, it looked like another fruitless endeavor. For at least two hours, they searched the city without finding a trace of the monster.

„Either this beast is uniquely good at hiding itself", Toshiro said during a break on a rooftopl, „or it's incredibly crafty and keeps on the move, playing cat and mouse with us."

„Hm…" Karin stared down on the vast expanse of buildings, taking a sip of water from the bottle she had fetched at her home. She looked lost in thought.

Toshiro took neither drink nor food. Angels had other sustenance than humans, and needed less of it due to their inborn powers. He was still stretching out his senses, trying to pick up the faintest of flickers of the demon's engery. The longer this demon was on the loose, the more worried he got. Who knew how many souls it had already devoured. And according to reports, angels had fallen victim to is as well. Angels Toshiro had known to be prodigious warriors despite heir sometimes low rank.

,Sneaky bastard', he couldn't help but think. And flinched a little. That we was starting to swear so vulgarly again, unbecoming of an angel and Cherubim, proved that this entire situation got to him more than he liked.

By now, he sun had already started to climb down towards the western horizon. The shadows grew longer ever so slightly. Toshiro's eyes narrowed. This wasn't good. While night and darkness themselves were not evil, they suffered the same fate as a tool or a weapon. Demons prefered to use them to hide, sneak about and draw power. The angel had wanted to end the search and have Karin safely at home by nightfall. Alas, it was apparently not supposed to be.

As if reading his mind, the mortal girl glanced at her watch and took out her cell phone and said: „I better call home and tell Yuzu I won't make it to dinner. She'll put something aside for me to eat later."

„That's a good idea."

In silence, Toshiro watched and listened as Karin made the call. In her voice, he heard the deep affection she had for her younger sister. Something told he she would fight like a tigress to protect Yuzu. Probably would do it for every of her loved ones, especially her family.

,What for heaven's sake am I going to do with her?', he asked himself for the umpteenth time.

Fact was, neither of them could walk away after this was over as if nothing had ever happened. And whiping Karin's memory of the knowledge about angels and demons was no option either. For one, she had made it clear she wouldn't let that happen without a fight. Also, due to those powers of hers, it seemed that her fate was interwoven with the supernatural world. Even if Toshiro whiped her memories, one day, those powers would break free and inavoidably drag her into it again.

And lastly… Toshiro found to his astonishment that he did not want to erase her memories in the first place.

,Oh, curse it!'

Of course, there had been humans in the past towards which the blue-winged angel had developed a certain fondness. But never this deep. He really, REALLY should not be feeling that way. In the past, he had had no trouble erasing a human's memory. So why was he so uneasy when thinking about erasing this particular human's memories?

But he would have to take time to sort it out later. For now, there were much more pressing matters at hand. Also, his thoughts were interrupted by Karin finishing her phone call.

„She'll put something aside for me. We won't have to worry about the time I return home now."

Toshiro nodded.

„Good." A pause, in which they both stared at the darkening sky. „Well, I guess it is time for you to meet those who assist me. They should be reporting in any moment now anyways."

„Assistants? Are they angels like you?"

The question was answered when a group of ten angels appeared kneeling behind Toshiro.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Karin had to supress a yelp. She had felt faint energies, but the suddenness with which the angels appeared still took her by surprise. Apparently, her newly awakened power was not refined enough yet. And they must have been supressing their energies, or Karin could have tracked them more clearly.

They all radiated great power too, and the presence of so many angels made Karin feel slightly queezy inside.

„Sir, reporting in", said a female angel who seemed to be the leader of the group. She had beautiful long and wavy red hair, with wings matching the color. As did the clothes, in vibrant shades of red and orange. The angel's entire appearance gave Karin the impression of a flame or a fire. The exact opposite of Mr. Iceberg.

„What do you have?", Toshiro asked, short, precise, efficient.

As Karin said: Mr. Iceberg. The girl decided it would be her nickname for Toshiro from now on.

The redhaired angel shook her head. „Nothing, I'm afraid. Even though we searched the entire city for two days. The only thing we found were a couple of minor demons, which were dealt with swiftly."

Toshiro sighed. Did Karin hear annoyance in that sound?

„As I feared. I'm beginning to understand why they deemed it necessary to send a Cherubim to deal with this. If hell spawns a new breed of demons that are all this dangerous…"

„Yes." The female angel's eyes fell on Karin, and an expression of curiosity flashed across her face. „A mortal? What is she doing here?"

Anger promptly flared up in Karin. The words had sounded so astounded that they felt rather belittling. But she wouldn't get down-talked by nothing and by nobody, not even an angel! She would proove them her worth sooner or later. If she hadn't picked up on the sincere curiosity behind the question, she might have responded in a non-flattering way.

Luckily, Toshiro kept anything bad from happening.

„Her name is Karin", he explained, as calm and cool as ice. „She was attacked by the demon we're hunting, and I managed to save her just in time. Unfortunately, the demon got away in the process."

„Wait…" The red-winged angel's eyes widened. „Does that mean she can see us?"

Did Karin see a faint smile tug at Toshiro's lips? No, she must've imagined it. The white-haired angel had never once given the impression of being the smiley type once since she met him.

„Yes. And there's more. She can sense he presence of demons as well as of us angels."

A gasp went through the group of angels. If Karin had needed more proof of how special her ability apparently was, this reaction was it.

„Everyone, this is Karin Kurosaki. Karin, this is a group of elite warrior angels under my direct command. The red-winged one is my second-in-command, Rangiku Matsumoto, who belongs to the choir of Dominions. The other are among the strongest angels of the choir of Powers."

Twenty eyes of incredibly powerful beeings suddenly settling on her with undiminished focus made Karin swallow and her pulse quicken. With her ability, it felt to her as if being surrounded by ten blazing fires.

But it also stirred her stubborn side again, and she tried to look as defiant as she could.

A smile flickered across Rangiku's face. To Karin's surprise, the red-winged angel did not react to the glare she received. Instead, her expression turned grim again as adressed Toshiro.

„Sir, I take it you did not find the demon despite her ability?", she asked, her soldier-like efficiency in stark contrast with her feminine looks.

„No, unfortunately we did not."

The angels, displaying stoic, calm faces until now, exchanged worried looks.

Karin remembered the terrible, crushing power she had sensed the previous night, when that demon had attacked her. She wondered wether she had truly grasped the true power and danger of the monster, if it coaxed such a reaction from a group of freaking angels.

„What do we do now, sir?", Rankigu asked.

„Our objective has not changed. We need to find that demon." Toshiro gave a short flick with his wings, which Karin realised must be a sign of his annoyance. „And as things stand, we seem to be forced to proceed the way we have been doing until now. Search, until one of us finds it by chance."

That prospect hung like a heavy blanket over the group. It was clear that all the angels wanted to end the matter as quickly as possible.

Suddenly, there was a tingle in Karin's neck. Her head shot upwards. She knew that feeling!

„Hey… I just sensed it!"

Eleven sets of eyes turned to her in the fraction of a second.

„Let's go."

More, Toshiro needn't say. Moments later, Karin sped through the air in his arms, the other ten angels right on their heels.

The black-haired girl narrowed her eyes against the wind. She stared ahead, focusing on that energy and prayed she wasn't going to loose it.

„There!"

She pointed, and Toshiro, with an imperceptible movement of his wings, banked slightly to the right.

,Come on, come on!'

For a moment, Karin was surprised at her own, sudden flare of anger, almost hatred towards the demon. She wanted to see it dead, for, after all, it had almost killed her. But then she recalled how dangerous it was, and that attacking in blind anger would spell certain death.

In that moment, the energy vanished.

„Damn it!", she exclaimed in frustration. No way this just happened!

At that, the angels halted, keeping themselves aloft on the spot with strong wingbeats.

„It vanished", Toshiro stated matter-of-factly.

„Yes. I'm sorry."

„No need to apologise. It's no your fault." Toshiro's eyes met hers. „Where did you sense it last? We might still find some clues."

„Just a little in that direction. Down there."

The angels followed Karin's directions. A minute later, as they were already descending, there came a scream from Rangiku.

„Oh no!"

The red-haired angel closed her wings almost completely and went into a head-dive, followed by the rest of the group. Toshiro, with Karin in his arms, descended more slowly, for which she was deeply grateful. Seeing the speed with which the others had hurtled towards the ground gave her a queezy feeling in her stomach.

But what had alarmed them so? Apparently, Rangiku had seen something, which led to the conclusion that angels had incredibly sharp eyes. Karin herself had seen nothing.

„What happened?", she asked the white-haired angel carrying her.

„You'll see in a moment."

Karin held back an annoyed reply. The more she talked to him, the more she began to understand that talking sparingly was just his characteristic. And while she did not like it, she tried to accept it. After all, if she wanted others to accept her the way she was, she needed to do the same with others.

,And who am I to presume to understand an angel?'

Her thoughts were distracted when something red caught her eyes. They were low enough now that Karin could recognise what lay below.

The angels under Toshiro's command stood in a circle around something shining red in the fading evening light.

A bad feeling settled over Karin. „Oh no… is that…"

Wordlessly, Toshiro landed on the concrete of a small parking lot in one of Karakura Town's outer neighbourhoods. After he put her down, Karin squeezed between two angels and stared at the sight in front of her.

The… thing was barely recognisable as what it once had been. Now it was a messy heap of blood, cloth and broken, light-brown feathers. The latter were the only thing indicating what was lying there.

The remaines of a brutally butchered angel.

Something about the sight shook Karin more deeply than anything before. All the angels she had met until now were elegant, ethereal beings radiating pure power. One of these wonderful beings being reduced to what lay in front of her felt so wrong, so… sacrilegous. She had never used that word before, but right now, it seemed fitting for the occasion.

Grim silence filled the air as two of the angels stepped aside to let Toshiro pass. The blue-winged Cherubim crouched down and picked up one of the feathers.

„I knew this one He was a member of the Principalities." He stood and gazed every one into the eyes. „We need to find that demon. Quickly. Time is running out."

Ten angels nodded in response, grim determination on their faces.

It took Karin a moment to understand what she had seen in those turquoise orbs that were Toshiro's eyes. They had sent a cold through her that made her shiver even to her core. His calmness was filled with ice. But Karin wondered if that calmness was much, much worse than any outburst of rage Toshiro could have had. Perhaps, ice was not the right word to describe what she had seen. Rather, it was like… like a blue, coldly burning fire that would turn into a roaring inferno once let loose.

Anger, sharper than any blade.

Karin shuddered, glad she was not the target of that deadly ire. If anyone else but a demon had been at its other end, she might have actually pitied whoever it was.

The other angels' expressions weren't much less angry. If it were possible for heavenly beings to harbour such feelings, Karin would have said they were out for blood. For vengeance. It was as if the death of this particular angel had turned a switch inside all of them.

Another flash of energy made her head whip around.

„I sense it again!"

Toshiro stood. Without any words, he took Karin into his strong arms, and the angels took off. After about a minute flying into the direction she had indicated, he narrowed his eyes. Calling over one of the angels, he said: „I have a bad feeling about this. Go and fetch the reinforcements we have precautiously waiting."

The angel nodded, then dissolved into golden light.

„Hey, I've been meaning to ask you", Karin said to Toshiro, reminded by the sight, „can you angels, like, teleport?"

Concentrating on flying as fast as possible, the blue-winged Cherubim only threw her a quick glance.

„Kind of", he said shortly. „I'll tell you, but not now."

Karin did not argue with that. She knew Toshiro was going to keep his word; he had proven he always did. And she was fully aware that vanquishing that dangerous demon was top priority now.

„Huh?!"

As if the monster had sensed her thoughts directed at it, its energy vanished once more, only to reappear a mile or so away. Then it vanished again. Reappeared. Vanished. Reappeared. Vanished.

„What's wrong?", Toshiro asked in an alarmed tone. He must have sensed something was troubling her. When Karin told him, he growled: „It's toying with us."

As it stood, however, they had no choice but to follow the demon's trail.

It kept jumping like that for about half an hour. The sunlight had faded completely, and only the city lights kept illuminating the sky, allowing Karin to see enough. Three minutes had passed since the demon's last change of location, and Karin was concentrating on its new hiding place. Suddenly, the sense that something was off washed over her. It took her a moment to realise what it was.

„The demon hasn't jumped anymore!", she blurted out as it struck her. „It's remaining in place! We're almost there!"

Toshiro's eyes narrowed. „Down. Now."

The angels obeyed. The command came so surprising, that Karin's reaction came several seconds late.

„We're landing? Why? We're still a bit away from the place."

With a flap of wintery wings, Toshiro did one of those highly elegant landings of his. He may be an ice statue, but an ice statue with a lot of beauty and grace. Something Karin had been able to observe in the brief time they'd kown each other.

Now the ice staute turned its turquoise eyes on her. „You wait here until we have dealt with the demon", he said in that commanding tone of his.

„Wait, what?" That took Karin aback. „You're leaving me behind?!"

„It's too dangerous", Toshiro said, some of that sharpness kreeping into his voice. „We've talked about this already."

„But what if it changes location again?! What if I possess powers that could help you?!"

„No, Karin."

„I promise I'll keep at a safe distance. I told you I didn't intend to fight any demons, and I meant it."

„No."

This time, his voice was razor sharp. It made the black-haired girl flinch. Never once had he talked to her in that tone. It made Karin realise that arguing was pointless, and thus managed to make her stay silent; her, who was he personification of stubborn and hot-headed.

„Is there… really nothing I can do?", she finally asked weakly.

Toshiro shook his head. „We know too little about your powers. It's safer for you to stay here."

„But…"

The white-haired angel gave a decisive flap with his wings, and joined the other angels, who had remained airborne.

„Toshiro!", Karin yelled after him, disbelieving her eyes. „You can't just leave me here all alone! Hey, ice statue!"

There came no reply as the angels disappeared into the night.

Autor's note: Enter Rangiku and more angels! :D And things seem to heat up for our heroes.


	7. UPDATE

UPDATE

Hey everyone! JupiterGoddess here. As you may have noticed, there haven't been any new chapters the past few weeks. I wanted to use this opportunity to apologise for the delay and to tell those of you who are supporting and following this story: It's not dead! It's just that I have been very distracted by real life and by tons of ideas and writing flashed for other stories, that I quickly got behind with this one. But I am still at it, and I may have a new chapter up by the end of this week. Right now, I am trying to write as much as possible in advance so I won't get behind so fast the next time. I beg of you to be patient just a little bit longer with me.

And of course, to all of you who favoured and followed this story, a big, big hug of gratitude from me! :D Thank you, folks! See you around!

Yours truly

JupiterGoddess


	8. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Author's note: And the fight is on!

Actually… I am almost too embarassed to admit it, but it seems I forgot I never posted chapter 6. o.o Yikes. I thought the entire time I did. But well… in this case, and because it was so long since my last chapter, I will post both chapters 6 and 7 today. I hope you enjoy! The storm is breaking loose over our heroes!

Karin's yells echoed in Toshiro's ears. He clenched his teeth and willed his wings to beat even faster.

He hadn' liked doing that at all. In all honesty, he wanted to wrap his wings around her and whisk her to a place where no harm could befall her. However, given the circumstances, it was better for her to not even get near that beast.

For a moment, he had considered to have one of his group's remaining nine angels to stay with her and protect her in case of an attack. But Toshiro had a feeling he was going to need every single warrior he could get. And at least he could stretch out his senses and keep track of her that way.

Even more, he too could sense the demon now. His senses were sharper than the other angels', but they should sense it any moment now as well.

The monster did not move an inch from its current position. Toshiro frowned. He knew it to be intelligent enough not to let itself get caught without reason.

,Be on highest alert', he told the other angels telepathically. ,I don't like this at all. It reeks of a trap.'

Agreeing thoughts came from the others.

,Down there!'

Toshiro closed his wings almost entirely and dove. The other angels followed him.

They landed and scanned the surroundings. It was a typical, big city square, one of those where no traffic was allowed. The hour was late, but Karakura Town was one of those large cities that never truly slept. A few mortals were still up and about, alone and in pairs. They did not see the group of ten angels landing in the middle of the plaza; the magical veil prevented that.

However, there was no trace of the demon.

It was here. Toshiro could sense its detestable presence clearly. And since angels were magical beings themselves, the veil couldn't hide it from them either.

,Camouflage', Rangiku's voice rang in his head, voicing what he was suspecting.

,A very good camouflage', he agreed. Which was reason to worry. Usually, demons did not possess that ability. Especially not the low-ranked ones. Even among angels, that ability was not common and usually belonged to members of one of the three highest choirs.

However, it couldn't be helped.

„Come on out, you monster!", Toshiro yelled into the air, a challenge. He laid all the power he could into his voice. „We know you're here!"

For a moment, there was silence. Then, a laughter rang through the night that dripped with malice.

„Oh my, bravo, little angels. You found me."

It was a rough, distorted deep voice that, just like the laughter, sent chills of disgust down Toshiro's spine. Before he or one of the others could even react, the demon materialised in a split second in front of them.

„T-that thing can talk!", one of the angels behind Toshiro exclaimed in shock.

The blue-winged angel didn't hold that reaction against him. Usually, demons couldn't talk. Or if they could, not this fluently. The only ones who were capable of proper speech were the most high-ranked and powerful ones. And fallen angels, of course.

On the other hand, now that Toshiro got a good look at it, this particular demon did not look at all like the rest.

Basically all of the lower demons moved on four legs. Their hind legs were formed in a way, however, that they could stand only on them if they so wanted. On their heads, they wore white masks with all sorts of appendages. This particular demon, however, had a much more human shape. Distorted, yes. But clearly humanoid. Its legs were shaped more like an animal's, and long claws adorned fingers and toes. Its mask was black instead of white, and adorned with two long, pointy horns. From beneath the mask, long, pale hair potruded.

And it was huge. Monstrously huge.

Toshiro had seen its like only rarely before. On those occasions, when he had battled princes of hell and those ranked close beneath them.

,What is this thing? Wait… no way… could this be…'

He did not finish the thought. The idea that this could actually be a new prince of hell, one that might even be stronger than the others, was too terrible. Still he sent another telepathic message to his group.

,Guard up! This guy could be way more dangerous than we anticipated!'

The demon laughed again, mockingly.

„I can hear your questions and your worries as if you were speaking them aloud. Indeed, what am I? A new leader in the ranks of hell'´army? Or only the right-hand man of one of the princes?" He made a shrugging gesture, before his face contorted into a vile, gleeful grin. „ I won't tell you, winged bastard! I'm sorry, but you'll have to keep wondering about it for the short rest of your pitiful lives!"

Toshiro didn't reply. That was a taunt he wouldn't fall for. The demon would have to try harder. And, he decided, it didn not matter how strong the monster was, or what rank it held. He was a member of the Cherubim. And no matter what, he would stop it. There were also the reinforcements that were on their way. He would only have to keep the demon at bay until they arrived.

The white-haired angel summoned his sword Hyorinmaru to his hand. Slowly, he walked towards the monster.

„This ends now, fiend."

„Uuuh, I'm shivering in fear."

The words were oozing with mockery and bile. Toshiro narrowed his eyes. This demon clearly loved to taunt its opponents, obviously in an attempt to coax them into rash and thoughtless action. Yet, even with its apparent power, there was something odd about its confidence. Facing ten angels should give him trouble, no matter how strong he was. And Toshiro's fighters were among the finest.

Ah, but of course.

,Brace yourselves!', he ordered his troop. ,Looks like the trap is going to close!'

„But I guess I need to thank you", the demon continued his previous sentence. „For bringing me yourselves on a silver platter as a little snack." A pause. „Whatever gave you the idea I was alone?"

And the air around them erupted with the flaring of countless evil energies. The night sky seemed to become alive as a seemingly endless number of demons materialized at the same time.

„What?!"

There were probably hundreds of demons hovering in the air and on the rooftops above and around them. There just seemed to be no end to them.

A shiver of dread ran down Toshiro's spine.

He and the group of angels under his command were all powerful warriors in their own rights. However, in such numbers, even the lowliest demons became dangerous to a Cherubim like him. And not only that… If these demons decided to wreak havoc among the mortals, the bloodbath would be horrible. They were simply way to few to protect anyone.

,How did he manage to rally so many demons?', he heard Rangiku's telepathic voice.

How indeed. Demons usually did not form groups. Their egoistical, greedy and overall vile nature prevented them from working together over an extended amount of time, which was a good thing. Sooner or later, fights would always break out between the demons in a group.

Until now.

Somehow, the demon they had been hunting had managed to assemble this astounding number of demons, and somehow was actually keeping them in check. There was no fighting breaking out among them.

That humanoid demons could prove even more dangerous than his camouflaging abilty, the sensation of his energy and his ability of speech already suggested. Not only had he gathered this many demons and was keeping them in like, he had also somehow managed to conceal their presences as well. Otherwise, the angels would have sensed them early and never fallen for this trap.

,What in the name of the Lord are we dealing with here?', one of Toshiro's warriors asked.

An important question, but one that would have to wait a little. Right now, they had to deal with this great threat. Even though Toshiro would have wished for information. It would help in the coming fight. Alas, they knew nothing about their enemy.

,We need to stop this at all costs', Toshiro told the other angels. ,Keep fighting. Hold out until reinforcements arrive.'

Affirmative thoughts.

„Enough", the demon growled, leaping into the air and hovering. „Our order is to remove you pests out of our way."

„Order?" Toshiro grabbed at the chance. „Order from whom?"

„Hah, nice try. You have to do better than that if you hope to gain any information from me." The demon gave that horrid laugh. „I thought you Cherubs are smarter than that. Oh well. Now, let's have some angel for dinner, boys!"

This time, Toshiro didn't even need give telepathic command. With their swords already drawn, the angels spread their wings, unleashed their energies and cloaked themselves in their glowing, ethereal forms. Then the angels rose to meet the onslaught of demons.

When they met, the clash of their energies caused a massive explosion. One that was even felt in the mortal world. The concrete cracked from the force of the blast The humans on the plaza started screaming and running. A couple of them were knocked to the ground by the explosion, but luckily, none seemed to be badly injured.

Mayhem broke out.

The good part was, that most of the demons truly were weak. Cutting them down required almost no energy. One single blow was enough.

The bad part: Who knew how long this would last? For each demon they cut down, two more seemed to instantly materialise. If it went on long enough, the angels' energy might start running out.

They had to eliminate the demons as quickly as possible, the white-haired angel realised.

Cloaked in blueish-white energy, Toshiro danced through the demons, his blade flashing again and again. He moved so fast that he seemed to be nothing more than a flash of blue light. Occasionally, he swung his sword and released mighty waves of ice, taking out dozens of demons at a time.

There was nothing but him and the monsters. However, as long as they ignored the fleeing mortals, that was just as well to him.

For how long they had been fighting, Toshiro couldn't tell. He thought he noticed the numbers of the demons begin to decline slowly, but gradually. However, suddenly, a cry of pain caught his attention. He struck down his current opponent and looked around. One of the other angels had been hit by a demon's claw, which had left a nasty wound in the upper arm. Red blood dripped to the ground below. The angel's aura of energy had disappeared.

In the blink of an eye, Toshiro was in front of him and had cut down a demon which had wanted to take advantage of the injured angel's momentary weakness.

,Thank you, Lord Toshiro. And my apologies for my lack of attention. They kept coming and coming.'

,I know. Just keep as focused as possible.'

In that moment, an energy flared behind Toshiro, where the other angel was. An energy he knew.

,Oh no!'

He whirled around with the superhuman speed he possessed. But it wasn't fast enough. Toshiro's eyes fell on the large figure looming over him, then on the other angel – hanging limp on a huge, pointy claw.

Already gone.

„Well now, little angel", the demon cackled. „What are you going to do?"

It was, of course, a rhetorical question. A second later, the dead angel's body flew through the air. And in the corner of his eyes, Toshiro saw another one falling.

Then, a woman's voice screamed.

In horror, Toshiro saw blood gush and Rangiku falling backwards. Rangiku, his sometimes silly, but always faithful lieutenant. He hid it beneath a shell of ice, but Toshiro did care about those under his command. About all of them.

His fury blazed alive like a coldly burning, blue flame. Silent, calm, yet deadly.

Without a sound, Toshiro charged at the demon. The monster laughed and dodged; however, this time not without getting hit. Its right horn sailed in an arch through the air and disappeared in the night.

„Bastard! What have you done?! My horn! My beautiful horn!"

To Toshiro's dismay, the loss of its horn seemed more to anger the demon than to actually do damage. And unfortunately, none of his subequent attacks hit. The demon was incredibly fast. Again the worrying question rose to his mind: What infinitely dangerous abomination had hell spit out now? Were there other demons as powerful as this one? He prayed to the Lord that it was not so. Because if it were, the situation would have been a huge lot worse than they had originally assumed.

,Curses. Where are those reinforcements I've sent for?'

Luckily, Toshiro himself moved with all his speed, so the demon in turn did not land any blows on him. They descended into a whirlwind of steel and claws.

Until a voice, a terribly familiar voice, called his name.


	9. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Author's note: Aaand as I promised, chapter 7. I have to admit that it was a little difficult for me to write. I guess good action scenes are not as easy to write as I thought. Unless of course the right words pop straight to your head.

Karin ran through the streets of Karakura Town, directing every curse in her repertoire at a certain blue-winged, white-haired angel.

„Damn that Toshiro! Leaving me behind like that! I can't believe the nerve!"

She ignored the looks people gave her as she ran by, mumbling to herself.

Pershaps… perhaps she might have done what Toshiro had told her to do. But something that went beyond her usual, natural inclination to help, urged her on with every fibre of her being. If she had to put it into words, she would have described it as something buried deep within her whispered to her that something bad was going to happen and that she needed to get to Toshiro's side.

Suddenly, an enormous pressure made Karin stumble and skid to a halt. When she looked up, she saw to her horror that the sky had turned alive. It was filled with demons, so many in fact that they blocked out all the stars.

She froze. A shiver of terror unlike any before ran down her spine.

„Oh my god…"

Karin couldn't believe the numbers. There were so many of them. Countless. A mass stretching as far as the eye could see. Karin wondered with worry wether that small group of angels could handle them. And unless those reinforcements Toshiro had sent one of his angels to fetch were similar in numbers, she did not want to imagine what was going to happen. If these beasts were to decide to feed on people…

She pushed away that image very quickly. It was too horrible.

That was when she heard an explosion a few streets on. From where Toshiro and the other angels were – and where that terrible presence of the demon they had been hunting loomed.

,Toshiro!'

She broke into a sprint. As a soccer player, she was decently fast. A minute or so later, people came running towards her, screaming. Behind them, Karin could see a cloud of dust billowing into the night.

,What the hell is going on there?'

She ran on, but with a growing sense of dread. Yes, she had sensed how powerful angels and demons could be. But seeing that destructive power in action was a whole different thing.

Finally, Karin reached a small plaza typical for a big city. What she saw there took her breath away and made her heart stop for a few beats.

It was a battle alright. But a rather spectacular battle. The angels were fighting of the onslaught of demons, which actually seemed start to lessen in numbers. However, they danced through the air like flashes of light, leaving trails behind them almost like shooting stars. They had taken on an ethereal, glowing form, yet Karin somehow could tell who each light was. If the situation was not so dire, she might have actually found that sight… beautiful.

Unfortunately, when her eyes found Toshiro, she was roughly pulled back into reality.

The blue-winged angel was fighting against that humanoid demon. Cold wind blew across the plaza as ice flashed through the air. The two opponents were nothing but blurry shapes, one black as night, one glowing light blue. They clashed with terrible force, each blow sending quivers through the air and ground. And neither seemed to get the upper hand.

„Toshiro!"

The white-haired angel's head spun around to her. Even in the distance, she could see his eyes widen.

„Karin?! What are you doing here?!"

But before she could answer or anyone could react, the humanoid demon took advantage of the distraction and lept at her with breathtaking speed.

„Youuu!", he roared. „That sweet life force! I'll finally devour it now!"

Karin's world narrowed until only the charging monster remained. Her brain hadn't even time to comprehend what was happening. Already she saw herself getting pierced by deadly claws.

Except the blow didn't come.

Metal clanked. Suddenly, red feathers filled her field of vision.

„Rangiku!", Karin blurted out, the relief making her feel light-headed.

The red-haired angel had blocked the demon's attack with her sword. Now she turned her head towards Karin, a smile on her lips.

„Are you alright?"

„Y-yes… thank you so much."

Karin's heart raced from the shock and the adrenaline coursing through her body. Once more, death had been way too close for comfort.

„Out of my way, vermin!", the demon growled and lashed out at Rangiku. In the fraction of a second, the female angel had taken on her ethereal form and dodged the attack, dissolving into an orange-reddish flash. The two of them clashed in a flurry of movement. Karin could just barely make out Rangiku's shape, and often couldn't even follow their movements.

Up in the air, the other angels were still fending off the onslaught of demons. Toshiro hovered on the spot for a few moments, watching his right hand battle the opponent that had been his seconds before. Karin could sense his urge to help. She could relate, because she felt the same. But in the end he turned away and unleashed a wave of ice against the lower demons.

Karin's hands itched as she watched the battles. She had told Toshiro that she didn't intend to fight the monsters. However, in that moment, seeing the angels struggle made her desperately want to fight at their side. If it were humans she'd have to kill, she might have thought twice about it. But these demons, Karin had learned, no longer human. They were monsters that needed exterminaton. Especially if it meant that those tortured souls could find peace.

However… she knew full well that she was too weak to fight those creatures. And cursed that fact.

„Karin!", Toshiro's voice thundered across the plaza. „Get out of here!"

The sharp command tore through Karin's overwhelming feeling of powerlessness. She realised he was right. Here, she couldn't do a thing. And it certainly wouldn't help anybody if she got killed. Besides, the angels might get distracted if they had to protect her at the same time as fighting the demons. The black-haired girl was just turning around – when a scream echoed across the plaza.

In horror, Karin watched a flurry of red feathers tumble to the ground, drawing a red line through the air.

„Rangiku!"

Karin barely noticed that Toshiro's voice joined hers. Before she even realised what was happening, she was already sprinting to the spot where the red-winged angel lay crumpled on the plaza's hard concrete.

Unfortunately, the demon had the same target. He luged from high up in the air right at Rangiku. Despair gripped Karin's heart. She wasn't going to make it in time. Had Rangiku saved her life only to die now herself? The idea tore Karin appart. Someone dying on her behalf… she could not accept that.

It happened in an instant.

The air grew so cold that Karin could see her own breath escape in white clouds. A thin sheet of ice spread across the concrete floor and up the buildings' walls. Moving even faster than ever before, Toshiro was but a blurr of blueish light as he intercepted the demon.

His anger was sharp as a blade of ice, a sea of coldly burning fire. It was a quiet rage, but all the more focused and deadlier for its calmness.

Angel and demon engaged in another assault at each other. While Karin barely could see them at all this time because of their increased speed, she felt the impact of each blow even stronger than before.

,Toshiro… please hang in there. God, if you hear me… please watch over him.'

That short prayer to a foreign deity surprised Karin for a moment. But as she thougth about it, seeing how angels and demons were real, it was only natural to believe that the rest was true, too. And who knew… the kami and yokai might prove real one day too. In the end, to her it didn't matter who or what it was, as long as there was an entity that kept Toshiro safe.

Her thoughts paused. When actually had Karin begun to feel so strongly about the angel? A few times, he had seemed like a jerk to her. And yet… there was something about him that seemed to draw her towards him. A vague sense that beneath that hard shell of ice beat a good heart. The faint loneliness in his eyes, which made her want to hug it out of him.

A moan brought her back to the now.

„Oh no!"

Karin ran the last steps to Rangiku and fell to her knees beside her. Helplessly, she tried to examine the angel, but all she saw was red blood and red clothes.

,What can I do?! What can I do?'

Suddenly, with unexpected strenght, Rangiku closed her blood-soaked hand around Karin's. And energy burst into life inside the black-haired girl. It was a sensation she had never experienced before, therefor she lacked the words to describe it. But it felt… incredible. Her entire body tingled with energy, and she felt as light as never before in her life. Almost weightless.

She stared into Rangiku's eyes. The red-winged angel smiled weakly.

„I knew there is more in you than just the ability to sense us", she said in a voice sounding frighteningly frail. „It was faint at first, but one could sense it. We just weren't sure in what way it was going to manifest."

„What… what does this mean, Rangiku?", Karin asked, shaken by the experience.

„That there may yet lay powers dormant inside you we could not even have fathomed", the angel explained. „Of course, there is no way to tell where they stem from. No way to know why a mortal like you has such powers. But for now, I want you to do something."

„Whatever you want!"

This time, Rangiku even gave a faint chuckle. „Hold your hands over me. Close your eyes and focus on that new energy inside you. Imagine it flowing through your entire body like a slow, yet mighty stream. Like the blood that flows through your veins. Then turn all your thoughts towards the purpose of healing."

„A-alright…"

In this series of surreal events, Karin felt even more surreal as she did exactly what Rangiku had told her to do. She stretched out her arms, closed her eyes and pictured the energy starting to flow out of the ball it was compressed to, coursing through her arms and legs and head. Something similar to what she pictured the system of veins and arteries looked like. She began to actually feel it. Warmth filling her from top to bottom. It actually felt as if it were flowing; flowing like water, out of her hands and into Rangiku. Good.

,Heal. Heal. Heal.'

She repeated that word a couple of times. Laid all her willpower into it. When she finally opened her eyes tentatively, a soft, reddish glow greeted her. But that wasn't the most astonishing thing. In front of Karin's eyes, the terrible wounds began to close. She could actually watch how the flesh mended itself and new, untouched skin closed above it, until nothing remained visible of the injuries.

When she was finished, Karin let the stream of energy fade. The red glow vanished. Still incredulous, the black-haired girl lifted her hands and stared at them.

„That… that was… unbelievable."

Rangiku sat up and gave her a warm smile. „I knew you could do it. Well done, Karin. You learned quickly."

„T-thank you."

The angel gave a few flaps with her red wings. „Just a few moments, then I'll be able to return to fight."

As if on silent agreement, the two of them looked up at the raging battle above. It was looking good, Karin guessed. The number of demons now had dwindled considerably, and it looked like the angels might yet turn the tables.

„You really should go now", Rangiku said as she finally stood up and put a hand on Karin's shoulder. „It's still dangerous here."

„Right…"

The red-winged angel wrapped herself in a coat of energy, gave a powerful flap with her wings and rejoined the battle in the air.

Karin turned and started running to take cover in one oft he adjacent streets. However, she didn't get far. There was a scream of pain, and a few meters away from her, one of the angels crashed to the ground.

The black-haired girl skidded to a halt. Her automatic reaction was to help the angel, even though she knew she should get to safety. Unfortunately, the enemy wasn't far behind the angel. Several of the demons charged after their prey.

,No!'

Karin stretched out her hand, as if she could keep back the attacking monsters that way. If she just could do something to help! She was so sick of always being the one that got rescued. She did not want to be a hindrance any longer.

Perhaps… perhaps there was something she could do. Karin closed her eyes and recalled what Rangiku had told her. Tapped into the power inside her, which already was easier than before. She let her thoughts flow, her mind get empty. Instantly, the image of fire appeared in front of her eyes. She could even hear its roar, its whispered promises of powers in her ears.

The flow of energy grew even stronger. The feeling of power surging through Karin filled her with elation. If she had to describe the sensation, it felt like roaring flames filing her without burning her.

Exhaling, she released them.

A building roar filled Karin's ears, and her eyes flew open. With wonder, she watched a wall of fire blaze to life, forming a protective shield over the angel.

„W-whoa… this is…"

There were no words describing how Karin felt right now. How crazy could things get? Angels existed, as well as demons; now, Karin possessed some kind of superpower that let her conjure fire. The strangest thing? Despite all the unbelievable things that had happened in the past two days and which had torn her life appart before piecing it back together again, changing it completely, she was still not freaking out. She would have any right to do so. However… something inside her accepted it all as i fit were as natural as breathing.

But best of all: She now could fight back against these ugly monsters.

First things first, though. The angel that had fallen from the sky still needed healing. Conjuring another shield of fire to fend off a second group of attacking demons, Karin ran to the injured warrior. Kneeling next to him, she tapped into her power and let it flow into the angel.

„Karin! What are you still doing here?! Get to safety!"

She looked up. The one who had yelled those words had been Rangiku. The red-winged angel was just fending off another handful of demons.

„Just a sec!", Karin yelled back. „I'll heal this guy, then I'll be gone!"

Famous last words. The instant she had finished talking, a vile energy flared to life behind her and the humanoid demon's voice rang in her ears, dripping with evil and devilish glee.

„Got ya."

Karin spun around. But at the same time, she knew that nothing she could do now was going to be fast enough. Even if she conjured the fire again, it would still be too slow. She had not even time to realise the imminence of her death, let alone getting afraid of it.

,Oh no…'

Ice flashed. Once more, feathers in numerous shades of white and blue filled her field of vision.

„Toshiro!"

The Cherubim turned his head, his turquoise eyes piercing her.

„Idiot… couldn't you just do… as you were… told?"

And the ice began to turn red.


	10. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Author's note: Finally! I deeply apologise for the long wait, especially for this particular chapter. For having taken so long in the middle of the battle. But here it finally is. The good news, I have just begun writing chapter 11. I'm trying my best to get ahead with writing, so I then simply can post chapter after chapter while still keep working. After all, I have not only the writing to do, but the translating as well.

Here goes chapter 8. Please enjoy, peoples! ;) And SOTE NI ZASE! DAIGUREN HYORINMARU!

With a moan, Toshiro sank to his knees. Pain like he hadn't felt in millenia coursed through his body. He could sense the hardness of the demon's claw piercing his chest, and his own hot, red blood drench the fabric of garmment.

For the mere fraction of a second, the demon had managed to distract him. But it had been enough. And before he had even realised what was happening, Toshiro had charged after his enemy, his body moving on its own.

The blue-winged angel had made it just in time.

Unfortunately, Toshiro had not been fast enough to keep himself from getting injured. Hyorinmaru's blade had not actually blocked the demon's claws, but rather deflected it and slowed it down. With the result that instead of hitting Karin, it had pierced his chest.

„TOSHIRO! NO!"

Once more, the human girl yelled his name. But… what was that panic, that utter terror in her voice? She wasn't hurt, after all.

Ah… of course… she was panicking for him.

Already he could sense her warm hand supporting him, preventing him from falling to his side. And now he could sense that her preoccupation and her fear were indeed for his sake, not for her own.

„Bastard", the demon interrupted his thoughts. „This is the last time you've interfered."

Toshiro struggled back to his feet, ignoring Karin's protest. His legs were so weak and the pain was still pounding through his body, that he swayed. Through sheer willpower, he managed to steady himself and lift his swordarm defiantly.

„Back… off…", he wheezed.

By god, how he hated his voice sounding so weak. If his body would just heal faster than it did… He needed to be strong. He needed to protect Rangiku and his other subordinates. He needed to protect the humans from this menace.

He needed to protect… Karin.

In truth, when Toshiro had seen Karin summon those flames, he had felt proud of her. It didn't matter where those power came from, although they surely were going to look into that. But the fact that Karin so easily handled those powers despite nobody teaching her properly, had made him feel prouder than he should of someone he had known only for a day.

And yet…

The demon gave a malicious laugh. „Good one, little angel! Look at you, the state you're in! You don't truly believe you can beat me like that, do you?"

He lifted his right arm, menacingly pointy claw poised for the final blow. Through the throbbing pain, Toshiro tried to focus, to summon the last bit of his strenght and his speed.

„Defiant until the end, ey? You angels are so annoyingly stubborn. Now die!"

Claw and steel flashed. But against Toshiro's expectations, they never met.

A wave of grey ash rushed past him. Rangiku. The red-winged angel had unleashed her full power. And she was not the only one. Two of the other angels followed straight behind her, unleashing their devastating energy at the humanoid demon. With grim satisfaction, Toshiro noticed that there weren't many lower demons left, of which the remaining five angels were taking care of.

,Good. Thank you… Rangiku.'

As if sensing his thoughts, even though he hadn't used their telepathic bond, she threw him a glance. After working together for so long, they understood each other without words, spoken or telepathic. This was such an instance. Once more glance and Rangiku understood. The two angels nodded at each other.

Rangiku and the other two warriors engaged the demon, which roared in anger about his escaping prey.

,Be careful, everyone.'

Then Toshiro turned to Karin. „Heal me. As quickly as you can."

A rare expression of shock appeared on the black-haired girl's face. „You're not telling me you want to keep fighting that thing, are you?" She studied him for a second. „Wait… you are serious."

„Of course I am."

„You can't, Toshiro!", she all but yelled at him. „Even if I heal you, who can tell me youwon't remain weakened until you fully recovered?!"

The white-haired angel stared into her dark eyes. They looked like a stormy sky, emotions swirling like clouds. Yet, he could also see the fire burning behind those storm clouds. A fire, he realised, he never wanted to see getting extinguished.

He wanted it do remain burning. No matter the cost.

„Just do it, please. This is the only chance we got to slay that monster." When she still hesitated, he added: „You really don't want this thing to start rampaging in your world."

That seemed to finally convince Karin. She sighed.

„Very well. But don't you dare die on my, you got that?"

„Don't worry. I don't intend to."

The mortal lifted her hand until it was above the wound in his chest. A faint, reddish glow appeared and warmth began to spread from the wound through his entire body. It chased away all pain. Slowly, the wound began to close.

,This girl… she's truly quite something.'

Noone ever before, neither human nor angel, had expressed such concern for his well-being. Except for Rangiku. The respect his subordinates had for him? He had to earn it through years and years. It had taken him a fair share of time until he was truly accepted into the ranks of Cherubim. Karin, on the other hand, had accepted him the way he was from the very start. Unafraid of his powers or his appearance.

It must have been this, he realised, what had drawn him to Karin so he felt those feelings he wasn't supposed to feel.

„Say, Toshiro…", she interrupted his thoughts. „Can angels heal too? Or is that power uniquely mine?"

„We can", the blue-winged angel replied. „Some have greater healing powers than others, but we all have them. When it comes to our own wounds, however, that's not so easy. Technically, we could heal ourselves. However, often the injuries weaken you too much to use those healing powers. And in combat, there is seldom enough time to do so in the first place."

„I see…"

After that short comment, Karin remained silent. Toshiro gazed up at the raging battle.

It looked great. Almost all of the lower demons were gone now, and two more angels had joined the battle against the humanoid demon. They were struggling, however. None of them landed a blow, not even Rangiku and her Haineko's ash. In turn, they had trouble dodging the monster's incredibly fast attacks.

He needed to get up there.

Toshiro had actually to keep himself from urging Karin to hurry up. He knew she was working as fast as she could, which, untrained as she was, was still at an impressive speed.

Glancing down at his chest, he noticed that the wound was almost entirely healed.

„This is really astounding", he murmured. „You really have already a good grip of your powers."

A brief smile flashed across Karin's face. „Thank you. I'm certainly glad about it."

To that, Toshiro simply nodded in agreement.

He was just lifting his eyes back to the fight, when a scream tore through the night. A winged figure crashed to the ground in a rain of blood. The demon's claws had done a terrible job. Karin gave a noise of horror.

That was it. There was no time left. A quick glance at his chest showed Toshiro that the wound had closed, even though the flesh above it was still new and shining red. But at least the bleeding had stopped.

„Enough." He laid a hand on Karin's shoulder. „Now, take shelter. We're going to end this, once and for all."

For a few seconds, Karin upheld the stream of healing energy, staring into his eyes. Then she lowered her hand. The red glow disappeared.

„Fine. But remember what you promised, ice statue."

Despite the grim situation, the nickname coaxed a short smile from Toshiro. Once this was over, he had to ask her how he earned it. „My name is Toshiro, not ice statue. And I recall telling you that I don't have the habit of breaking my word."

He opened his wings, pushed off the ground and shot through the air – towards the demon.

By now, all the remaining angels were battling it. The last of the lower hellspawn had been vanquished. However, taking down such a large number of enemies and now having to battle such a strong foe was starting to take a toll on the winged warriors.

As naturally as he breathed, Toshiro tapped into his energy. While Karin had healed him, he had been constantly storing it, comprimating it into a dense ball. Now he grabbed it and released every single ounce of his power.

He summoned an actual snow-storm. The white flakes whirled around him in a frenzy. With a roar, he swung his sword and released a tsunami of ice, which took the shape of a massive, serpentine dragon. This was Toshiro's strongest technique, one he only used in the most dire of situations.

It hit its target with full force.

The demon had been perfectly occupied by Rangiku and the others. This time, its reaction came way too late. The ice dragon opened its massive mouth and the demon vanished in its maw. It hadn't even time to scream.

Panting, Toshiro landed back on the ground. Above him, the solidified ice shattered, leaving no trace of the demon behind.

It was finally over.

This time, it truly was. There was not a single bit of the monster's vile aura to be felt. It was gone for good. The battle was won, Karin and the rest of humankind were safe from this deadly epitome of evil. The relief he felt was so big that all tension just flowed out of his body from one moment to the next.

He heard running footsteps. However, before he could turn around, his knees buckled and gave in. But even without seeing her, he knew who came running towards him. Already, he could feel her warm hands steady him once more.

„Hey ice statue… you alright? Take it easy now."

Again Karin called him by that nickname she had given him, and if he had wanted, he could have felt offended about it. However, there was no malice in that word. In fact… he wouldn't mind hearing her call him that for many more times.

„I… I am", he answered her question. „Just… exhausted. But nothing a proper rest can fix."

„You did it", Karin said and squeezed his shoulders. „You really did it, Toshiro. I can't believe it's over now."

Her voice was filled with the reliefe that he felt. She actually had tears of happiness glistening in her eyes. Not that he'd blame her for that. With everything she had gone through, it was a miracle she hadn't yet collaped by this point.

With the quiet rustling of feathers, Rangiku and the other angels landed around them.

„Sir", the red-winged angel spoke up. „I can't believe you used that technique while still weakened by your wound. I thought you had something else in mind when you gave me the signal."

„I had no choice, Rangiku."

Before he could reply, Karin interrupted him. „What do you mean by that, Rangiku?" Her voice sounded alarmed.

„That technique he used to kill the demon is his strongest and quite formidable even for an angel of his rank", she explained. „However, it also uses a lot of energy. If he uses it in a weakened state, he runs danger of suffering heavy consequences."

„What?!" The black-haired mortal sounded incredulous, if not downright indignant. „That sounds to me like you could die from this! Toshiro! Never do something as foolish as this ever again, you hear me?!"

At first, the blue-winged angel was so perplexed by this, that he stared at her for a few seconds before he could even answer. Karin kept surprising him again and again. None of his subordinates would have ever dared talking to him like that. This girl, however, was absolutely unafraid of speaking her mind to anyone.

When he regained his composure, he threw Rangiku a sharp glance. „Angels don't die so easily. Besides, would you have wanted me to use a weaker technique which the demon could have survived? One he could have recovered from, allowing him to kill us all and start wreaking havoc among humanity?"

Rangiku lowered her head, a guilty look on her face. Toshiro hated being so harsh on her, but it was true. Also, he needed to remind them all that he still was in charge here, despite his weakened state.

Suddenly, clapping echoed across the plaza.

„My, my, how touching. Sorry we have to interrupt this heart-warming scene."

The voice sent dread down Toshiro's spine. It was calm, almost cultivated. However, it had an underlying tone of malice, wily slithering in the shadows.

All feeling of victory instantly evaporated inside Toshiro.

His eyes flew to where the voice had come from. And there, on one of the buildings, stood four winged figures. They were clad in the black garmments which the inhabitants of hell usually wore when taking human shape. Which of course they alreay when said inhabitants were like these four – fallen angels. Their wings, unlike those of Toshiro and his men, were leathery, shaped like those of bats. The membranes were the same color of their hair, a trait they had retained from their time as angels.

„Gin!"

That hissed word had come from Rangiku. Toshiro threw her a glance, suddenly worried for his right hand. Her face betrayed nothing, but her eyes did. They were a blazing storm of emotions.

He too had recognised the silver-haired fallen angel with his cunning grin. And he also knew the other three with him. The bad news: Even as an angel, he had been powerful. And no telling how strong the demons that were with him were. In a fight, Toshiro's group might not stand a chance. Not when he himself was still so weakened from his previous fight.

„Toshiro?" A hint of fear swung in Karin's voice. „Who… who are these guys? They… they are so powerful…"

Of course she could sense their auras. Not taking his eyes off the enemy, he said: „They're fallen angels and demons. After Lucifer was cast into hell, there was a second rebellion among angels. The one who staged it is named Aizen. Though not as many followed him as they did Lucifer, he has his loyal underlings. These are four of them. The silver-haired one is Gin, an angel fallen at Aizen's side. The other three are demons, imbued with angelic power by Aizen, which gives them their current appearance. The blonde woman is Harribel, the one with blue hair is Grimmjow, and the last one is Barragan."

A pause from Karin.

„How bad is our situation?"

This time, Toshiro did not answer. He himself had yet to accept what was happening. His group had barely managed to take down that humanoid demon. Against these four, who were among hell's strongest warriors… they were lost.

Anger rose inside him, and he clenched his fists and teeth. Had they defeated one deadly threat at such great cost, only to get struck down now, in the moment of their victory? The unfairness made him want to scream.

He had to try something. Anything.

„What brings hellspawn as strong as you into the human world? Has Aizen sent you to do some dirty work?"

„Tsk, tsk, where are your manners, my dear Cherubim?" Gin wiggled a finger. „But oh well. Since these are your last moments in this world, I can tell you. Not that it will change anything wether you're alive or dead. Aizen's plans always come to fruition. Simply put… that strong demon you killed had a task. And he failed. We are here to correct his mistake."

„What task?"

„Sniff out people with strong spiritual power and bring them to Aizen."

„What?!"

So this was what they were after. It was good, then, that they had taken care of the demon before it could do harm. Who knew what he would have caused if he had remained unchecked.

„So Aizen has created him?" Rangiku almost spat out those words.

Gin shrugged. „Of course he has. This one, however, turned out defective. Instead of capturing that girl, he almost killed her."

This time, Toshiro glanced at Karin, who paled visibly.

,Curse it. Of course they're after her.'

For a moment, the blue-winged angel forgot all logic and rationality. He summoned Hyorinmaru to his hand. „You'll never get her."

He had no idea of how to get out of this. But he certainly was not going down without a fight. If it meant to keep Karin's flame burning, he would gladly give his life. Although… no. Loosing or dying was not an option. Not right now, at least. He needed to find a solution, and fast.

Gin shook his head almost sadly. „A valiant effort, but pointless. Grimmjow, Harribel, Barragan… if you'd kindly do the honors."

The three demons took to the air. The angels around Toshiro summoned their swords as well and took battle stances. The air seemed to spark with tension.

But the attack never came to happen.

Dozens and dozens of energies flared to life. This time, however, they were familiar, gentle and warm. Angels. One after another materialised everywhere, just like the demons had before. Metal clanked as the three attackers got intercepted by three familiar angels. Directly in front of Toshiro, two more familiar pairs of wings appeared. One white with electric blue sprinkles and one black with dark turquoise sprinkles.

„Sorry we're late", Jushiro said, turning his head to him.

Toshiro's knees wanted to give in a second time – this time from relief.

The reinforcements had arrived.


	11. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Author's note: This chapter was… a little difficult to write. So much exposition going on. I hope it's not too much of it for you guys. If so, rest assured that the action will return. I just wanted a certain revelation to be seen through Karin's eyes.

Hope you guys still enjoy it. See ya! Or more like: Read ya!

Karin thought she had gotten used to the presence of angels by now. But seeing so many angels appearing at once stunned her speechless. Feathered wings everywhere. It was a sight that would stay engraved in her memory forever.

The three angels that had blocked the fallen ones and their opponents parted, returning to their respective sides.

„So these are the reinforcements you have called for?", Karin asked her ice statue.

„Yes. Though they should have arrived a lot earlier." His next words were directed to an angel with long, also white hair. „What took you so long? I sent my messenger a while ago."

The taller angel's face turned grim. His gaze returned to Gin and the three demons. „Ask them. As more and more time passed without any notice from you, we knew something was wrong and set out. On our way, we found an angel's butchered body on a rootop."

„They intercepted him, then."

The silver-haired fallen angel giggled. „Oh, my, so our little trick didn't work. Yes, we intercepted and killed your messenger. Not that it was of any use, it seems…"

So that was why the reinforcements came so late. Of course. Karin recalled the dead angel they had found before and wondered wether the angel had been butchered in a similar way. She shuddered. Better not imagine it too much. Though she pitied who had simply wanted to bring them help.

„Oh, well…" Gin shrugged. „It was worth a try. But we'll take our leave ow. Against this many of you, even we'd be in trouble. Besides, I see…" He started making a show of pointing out each one, „one… two… three… four… five Cherubim, and of course our brave little snow angel over here. That's too much a hazzle, thank you very much. But don't you worry. Lord Aizen will always reach his goals."

And in a poof of black flames, the fallen angel and the demons disappeared.

„Tch. Cowards as always", a more bulky-looking angel with dark brown hair and wings of the same color said. His feathers were streaked with… a color Karin actually couldn't discern. It seemed to shimmer in multiple colors. Perhaps it did. With these angels, nothing seemed able to surprise Karin anymore.

She hadn't realised how tense she was until that tension left her all at once. A shiver ran through her. Karin suspected she didn't grasp yet fully how close she had come to death once more. If the reinorcements hadn't arrived when they had…

A faint moan escaped Toshiro and drew Karin's attention back to him. His knees slighly buckled and he sunk down onto one of them.

„Hey, you sure you alright?"

Instinctively, Karin's hand were instantly on his shoulders, supporting him.

„As I said… just exhausted…"

Her indignant reply was prevented by a group of five angels and Rangiku joining them. They all carried an aura of incredible power, similar to Toshiro's. Even without the remark of that fallen one named Gin, Karin would've guessed them to be Cherubim.

One of them, a female angel with long black hair that was woven into a braid in front of her body and whose feathers were black with streaks of an unusual, turquoisish green, briefly held a hand over Toshiro's chest.

„Now this is unusual", she said, sounding faintly surprised. „The wound in your chest is still a little visible, but it was healed perfectly. The only thing you're suffering from is exhaustion. Who did this?"

Toshiro's turquoise eyes met Karin's dark ones, and she thought she could see pride flash in them.

„Her."

Surprised murmur washed through the angels all of their eyes settled on Karin. The undivided attention of so many powerful beings made the black-haired girl feel a little queezy.

The angel who had checked Toshiro lifted an eyebrow. „A mortal? That is rather impressive, I must say. Toshiro, I think you have some explaining to do."

„Of course. Her name is Karin Kurosaki." He looked at her. „Karin, this is Unohana, the greatest healer among the angels." The female angel with the braid. „Then there's Ukitake." The other angel with white hair, with sprinkles of magnificent blue among his white plumage. „Kyoraku." The brown-haired angel with shimmering sprinkles in his brown feathers. „Soi Fon." The other female angel. Her short, black hair was woven in two thin braids that hung down her back, and her feathers carried a beautiful yellow that somehow fit well with their black. „And lastly Byakuya." The last angel was a black-haired, stern-looking man. The feathers of his wings, however, carried a surprising pink color on their black. Somehow, that color did not seem to go with the angel's almost grim demeanor. Karin wondered where the color might stem from. She recognised him, Soi Fon and Kyoraku as the angels who had intercepted the attackers from before.

So much assembled power only kindled the queeziness Karin felt.

After the introductions were done, Toshiro told the entire story. From the moment he had saved Karin from the demon until the reinforcements had arrived.

After he finished, a brooding silence settled over the angels.

„This is worrysome news", Ukitake eventually spoke up. „We'll have to share it with everyone else. If Aizen has found a way to create such powerful demons, everyone needs to know. We'll have to take precautions."

„Knowing Aizen, it won't be a surprise if he found a way to empore his fallen angels and demons", Kyoraku added. „But first things first. Toshiro, you need rest. And, by the way, well done. By what you have told us, that demon was on par with the princes of hell. It is impressive you managed to defeat it."

„My men helped me…"

Byakuya looked up at the gathered host and made a gesture. They vanished, taking Toshiro's wounded warriors with them. Karin hoped they were getting the best care. Only the Cherubim, Rangiku and three more angels remained. One was red-haired. His wings looked rather exotic, as they were the same color of his hair with some uncommon shade of green sprinkled into them. The other two were women. One not as tall as Rangiku, with a serious expression on her face. Her feathers were the same black as her hair, with touches of light grey. The other female angel was taller than Nanao, with hair and wings in a light shade of lilac. Toshiro must have seen her curious look, for he introduced them without her having to ask.

„They are Renji, Byakuya's right hand, Nanao, who's Kyoraku's aide and Isane, Unohana's leutenant."

„Enough chit-chat", Soi Fon barged in. „The situation with Aizen is bad enough as is. So what are we going to do about the girl? This is something we can't simply ignore."

Karin looked at the black-haired female angel. Her black eyes were hard as onyxes. The stare made Karin feel uneasy. Did Soi Fon dislike her? But why? It wasn't like she had done anything to the angel.

Luckily, Unohana stepped in. „The question of her powers makes me curious, as well."

„What do you guys mean?", Toshiro asked. He sounded indignant, on Karin's behalf – which she, given his usually frosty demeanor, found somewhat cute. And her heart opened even more to this enigmatic angel, who at the the same time she seemed to know deep within her soul.

Unohana smiled a warm, kind smile. „No need to feel upset, Toshiro. My, you seem to have taken quite a liking towards her. Nobody intends to hurt her, don't worry. All I meant was, that I would love to know what her powers exactly entail, and also where it comes from. A mere mortal with such astounding abilities and control over them is… well more than rare. I am sure there's more to this."

At that, Toshiro became thoughtful. His turquoise eyes met Karin's.

„Actually…", Toshiro murmured, his turquoise eyes seeming to pierce through her right to her soul. „I do wonder too. I thought it was strange that a mere human possessed such impressive powers – and such good control over them."

Karin had to admit that he had a point, now that she thought about it. Things had just happened too fast. And, perhaps, she had been too afraid of the answer to actually ponder the question where her powers came from. But it was true.

Where DID they come from?

„KAAARIIIIN!"

That voice… it was terribly familiar. But before her brain could register the name it belonged to, she was enveloped by a flurry of black feathers dotted with red. Strong arms she knew too well were wrapped around her.

„Karin! Thank god you're okay! I don't know what I would have done had anything happened to you."

With eyes wide and mind numb from disbelief, Karin looked up – right into Isshin Kurosaki's face.

„D-dad?"

As if on their own, her eyes wandered to a spot over his shoulder. Where the arch of a wing was visible. Behind him, her brother Ichigo landed with a flap of his wings, which were the same flaming red as his hair. And there was Rukia too – an acquaintance of Ichigo's whom he had introduced to his family one day and who had now become a close friend too all four of them. She too had a pair of wings poking out from behind her back, which were a whiteish blue, similar to Toshiro's, with lots of black accents, fitting her black hair.

A wave of nausea hit Karin. She had just gotten accustomed tot he fact that demons and angels existed. Which had already been more than mind-boggling. But her brother? Her silly, yet loveable and caring father? Rukia? They were angels too? It was almost too much. It was a miracle that she did not collapse then and there. Especially after the tension about almost getting killed vanished.

„You're not hurt at all. I'm so glad. Ichigo, Rukia and I sensed what was going on and wanted to come here and help, but we had to deal with our own horde of demons."

,Wh-what is going on here? This… this is crazy!'

From all the bizzare things that had happened in the past day, this was by far the most bizzare thing. Karin felt her knees buckle and leaned into her father's embrace. Without him holding her tightly, she would probably have fallen. But she did not ask if this all was a dream. For that, her recent brush with death had been too real.

„Y-you…"

Toshiro's voice, and his tone, tore Karin out of her daze. The blue-winged angel had sounded almost… angry.

The expression on his face was a mixture of emotions. Disbelief and pain, if Karin judged correctly. Joined by anger and… relief. Then she noticed that the other angels too had varying degrees of disbelief on their faces. Rangiku's was actually very similar to Toshiro's. Karin tried to make sense of it all, but the only thing that happened was her head almost starting to hurt.

Her father seemed to have noticed the looks of the other angels as well.

„Come on, don't give me that. I'm happy to see you all too."

Ukitake was the first one to regain his composure. Cracking a smile, he said: „Of course we are happy to see you, Isshin. But I dare say that you have a whole lot of explaining to do."

„My words." Kyoraku gave a short chuckle. „You really pulled one on us, swooping down like this out of nowhere." He glanced at Ichigo. „Hello there, young Kurosaki."

Ichigo, as non-talkative as ever, nodded in greeting.

Karin's head started to pound. „You… you all know each other?"

Isshin, Ichigo and Rukia exchanged a glance. Then the black-haired man smiled at his daughter – his usual warm smile that was almost a grin.

Despite everything, he was still her father.

„Ukitake is right. I do have a lot to explain." He looked at each of the angels. „Why don't we all go to my place, where we can make ourselves comfortable. It's gonna be a long story."

And so, fifteen minutes later and a flight in the arms of her father later, Karin sat on a chair in their kitchen/eating room, a cup of steaming tea in front of her on the table. She was going to need everything that calmed her nerves. Around her, six Cherubim, four Dominions, her father, her brother and Rukia occupied almost all of the now suddenly so small space. Ukitake and Kyoraku had even taken sea at the table as well. There was something rather odd about two immensely powerful beings sitting on ordinary kitchen chairs in an ordinary kitchen. In fact, it was quite the odd scenario, so many angels in an ordinary home.

Toshiro stood behind Karin, a little to her left. His presence managed to actually calm her a little. A powerful presence she knew was watching over her. Like a guardian.

An expectant silence filled the room. Everyone's eyes rested upon Isshin, who was leaning against the wall. Eventually, he sighed.

„I guess I'll start, then. I hope you're comfortable and patient. As I said, it is going to be a long story."

And then he began to tell his story.

Karin listened with a sense of bewilderment, almost feeling like a stranger, watching the events unfold from afar.

Isshin explained how he once had belonged to the Cherubim as well. He had led an entire host of angels. Among them had been Toshiro and Rangiku, two of his most high-ranked and trusted subordinates. Until one day, roughly twenty years ago, repsorts of a strange demon had come in. When Isshin had gone to Earth to investigate, a chain of events had set into motion nobody had seen coming. He had met Masaki Kurosaki, who turned out to be a Nephilim – the offspring of a human and an angel. While such connections were not forbidden, they were frowned upon among angels; something that had its root from the very first Nephilim that had been born millennia ago and who had wreaked havoc on the Earth. So, in the rare occasions an angel and a human entered a relationship together, they kept it as secret as possible, especially should if offspring followed such a bond.

Before Isshin and Masaki were that far however, Masaki's life got into grave danger. It required Isshin's angelic powers to save her. In consequence, however, he lost those powers, remaining bound to the Nephilim and to an Earthly built a life together, then even a family.

At that part, Karin couldn't hold back anymore. „Hold on… so you're saything that Ichigo, Yuzu and I are actually Nephilim too? Half-angels?"

Isshin nodded. „Exactly. Although, to be more precise, you are three quarters angel and one quarter human."

„That explains a lot", Toshiro cut in. „The power you possess, Karin, and how you managed to gain such good control over it in such a short time. You and your siblings are stronger than other Nephilim that are only half angels."

Several of the angels nodded in agreement, a sentiment Karin shared with them. How to feel about the fact that she was half an angel was an entirely different story.

„That's right." Isshin exhaled deeply. „Well, for many years, we were happy together. And when the three of you were born, that happiness just grew. Until that day…"

There was a stab at Karin's heart. She knew exactly what he was talking about. Mother's death.

„I never told you about what killed her. I couldn't; you wouldn't have believed me. For, you see, she was killed by a demon."

It was true, Karin had to admit. Had her father told her that before all this, she would have laughed at him. Yuzu and Ichigo wouldn't have believed him either.

Kyoraku frowned. „By a demon? But if she was a Nephilim, she should have had powers of her own. She should have been able to vanquish it."

„And you are correct." Isshin looked at the brown-winged angel with an unusually grave expression. „But that day, something happened that… prevented her from using her powers. It's too long a story, but one day I'll tell you. However, the circle of life kept turning, and things moved forward, regardless of anything."

„It was probably a matter of time until we get dragged into this", Ichigo took over. „Karin, all three of us have been able to see things others couldn't. So something was bound to happen. I was clueless until I stumbled into Rukia here. She awoke my power."

The black-haired female angel smiled. „That's right. You weren't aware, but I did so by helping him save you from a demon."

A memory flashed in Karin's mind. „That day, huh…"

Isshin nodded. „Yup. Ichigo has since fought many battles against demons, protecing others. I myself have always sensed what was going on, but I couldn't do anything. Not without my powers. Thank god they returned several weeks ago." A short pause. „And that's the story. That's why you saw things nobody else saw, Karin, and that's where your powers come from."

A long, heavy silence followed his words. Everyone had to digest what they just had heard.

Karin's head literally swam by now. The highly intense day seemed to finally take its toll. First the hunt. Then the battle. And now all these revelations… She oughta collapse any moment now.

„Listen, everyone." Toshiro stepped forward. „It's been a very long and very exhausting day. Why don't we let Karin rest. We can discuss our next steps later."

In that moment, Karin could have hugged him to death. It was as if he had sensed her deep exhaustion, and was stepping in to get her some reprieve.

,I guess beneath all that ice is a kind soul, after all.'

Ukitake and Kyoraku, who, as the black-haired girl suspected as of now, were kinda the leaders among the newly arrived Cherubim, threw each other a glance. Then the white-haired angel nodded.

„Very well. However, we cannot let this matter rest. We'll keep an eye on the situation." His face turned grim. „Especially because of the matter of Aizen. We need tob e as alert as never before."

„I agree." Soi Foin pushed herself decisively off the wall she had been leaning against. „I'll send more angels to Earth, to find out about any demon activity whatever they can. We need to get a clear picture what Aizen is up to."

„What about the girl?", Byakuya asked.

All eyes fixed on Karin again.

„Well…", Kyoraku said, stretching the word. „Whatever is going to come, she needs training. Who knows what'll happen if her powers run rampant."

„I'll train her." It was Toshiro. „And at the same time, I'll keep watch over her. Aizen surely is going to attempt something else to get her. Until Karin's mastered her powers, she'll need protection."

The thought of spending more time with Toshiro made Karin's heart actually leap a little bit.

„Ichigo and I will help you with that", Isshin declared. „Ukitake, Kyoraku… warn the angelic host. I fear there's something big brewing."

„We feel the same", Kyoraku replied. „Don't worry. We'll set those gigantic wheels in motion. And once they are, they're unstoppable. I suggest a mutual exchange of information. Whenever one of us finds anything, he informs the others. Agreed."

There was a unisono „agreed" from the angels.

After bidding farewell, one angel after the other left, dissolving into figures of light. The last one to leave was Rangiku, Toshiro's right hand.

„You sure you are okay?", she asked, with a slight frown of concern.

The white-haired angel gave her a rare smile. „Of course. Don't worry. And if anything should come up, I'll send for you."

Once the red-winged woman was gone, Karin stood and gave her brother and father a hug. All she wanted now was to drop into her bed.

„Are you fine, Karin?", Isshin asked her.

In truth, Karin didn't know. She was simply as exhausted as she had never been before. „I guess so…"

Her father gently stroked the top of her head. „Good night, my girl. If you need anything, just ask."

„I will, dad."

Karin probably had never appreciated the support of her family as much as in this moment. For now, there was just one last question left.

„Dad?"

„Yes?"

„Will I… will I get wings, too?"

Isshin studied her thoughtfully. „I don't know, Karin… Some Nephilim grow them, others don't. Only time will tell."

„I see… thank you."

With that, she walked up the stairs into her room. On the way, a sudden wave of nausea hit her, so that Toshiro had to support her once more.

„Hey, easy there", he said with rare concern in his voice. Concern for her sake, from her usually grumpy ice statue. Even through her exhaustion, Karin was touched by that. „Should I carry you the rest of the way?"

„No… I think I can manage."

Manage she did, but when she finally crashed onto her bed, she had no idea how she had managed it. With each step she had taken, it had become harder for her to keep her eyes open.

„Toshiro?" Her voice was but a murmur anymore.

„What is it, Karin?"

„Please hold my hand."

Perhaps, if she had been not so dead tired, she might have thought twice about asking this from him. However, it was what she needed right now. The blue-winged angel had proven time and time again that he was keeping her safe, even at the risk of his own life. Karin now needed such a strong rock in the ocean to hold on to, for her life had turned into a maelstrom, threatening to pull her into its dephts.

There was the light rustling of feathers. A moment later, cool fingers closed around her hand. A light smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

„Thank you."

Then, sweet sleep pulled her into darkness.


	12. UPDATE 2

Update

…

Guys. Hit me. I am so stupid.

GAH! Why the hell haven't I noticed that I never even uploaded chapter 10?! All the time I have been fretting about chapter 11! Have been writing to those I have closer contact here on how I'll hurry to finish it up, and recently, that it was going well.

AND I HAVEN'T EVEN UPLOADED CHAPTER 10! o.o

Ah well… what's done is done. The good thing? You'll get two chapters today. That is, chapters 10 and 11. Chapter 12 I should have ready by next week. And chapter 13, if it goes well, the week after that. Chapter 14 and beyond… we'll have to see. I give my best.

Read ya!


	13. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Toshiro stared down at the sleeping figure. His thoughts were in turmoil like… well, in fact, they had never been this turmoiled before. Which meant quite a lot, considering his millennia-long existence.

,Oh Lord… what path have you chosen for me? What tests do you have in store?'

The blue-winged angel studied the sleeping Karin, then gazed out of the window. All he saw was the pitch black of night. No stars, no moon. A fact that actually sent a pang of sadness through him. Humans and their stupid tendency to turn their eyes away from the truly beautiful things.

Then again… perhaps not all of them were so bad.

With a sigh, Toshiro sat down on the edge of the bed, still holding Karin's hand. Took a deep breath. Now that he could finally relax in peace, he could feel his body working on completing its healing. And his energy was slowly but steadily regenerating.

Above all, he had finally time to think. Ever since he and Karin had set out to slay that abnormal demon, things had happened in rapid-fire succession. Even an angel like him needed a few moments to ponder so many happenings.

The battle against Aizen's creature definitively had been too close a call. Toshiro himself hadn't been in such peril for centuries. And today, he had also experienced something new, something so alien to him that only now was he beginning to comprehend it.

For the first time in millennia old life, he had been afraid for someone else.

Of course, he treasured all living things. He had comrades at his sides who were important to him, like Rangiku. However, he knew he could have confidence in his angels that they could hold their own. They all were, after all, trained warriors. Karin, on the other hand, hadn't even known of her powers until today. No matter her inner strenght, she was none of Toshiro's warrior angels. Despite her inner strenght and formidable powers, there was still a frailty about her that he wasn't used from his warriors.

Karin. That girl. At first, she had been nothing but a normal mortal to Toshiro, one who was able to see angels and demons. Now she was a Nephilim, a half-angel. And daughter of nobody else than Isshin.

The story which the black-haired angel had told them had been incredible. But it explained his absence the past twenty years. Toshiro had been angry that the angel and superior he had admired had vanished without a trace. Now, however, he could be angry no longer. He understood. The only thing the blue-winged angel wished was, that Isshin at least had left a message, or somehow sent him and Rangiku one. Just something to let them know he was alright. After all, Isshin had been a great superior and something like what humans called a fatherly figure to Toshiro.

Despite his annoyance, the white-haired angel also felt pity for the other Cherubim. It must have been terrible to be unable to return to Heaven for such a long time. To be without his tremendous powers from one moment to the other. And loosing the one he loved with being able to help her. Toshiro had no idea what he would do in such a situation and shuddered at that thought. His heart felt with Isshin who had been forced to endure such great loss.

,Those accursed demons. Things like this are why we cannot stop fighting them.'

He turned his gaze on Karin. Isshin's and Masaki's story made him think about himself and her.

Toshiro knew that the black-haired girl harboured the same feelings for him as he did for her. However, the situation was so confused that nor even he was sure to proceed from here on out.

He sighed.

Well, as promised, he was going to help Karin train her abilities. He wished she hadn't gotten into the dangrous world of angels and demons. But now she was in it, and all Toshiro could do was at least the strenght to defend herself.

,As for the rest… we'll have to see what the Lord has in store for us.'

He glanced down at the sleeping girl. To his own surprise, he felt a faint smile tug at his lips. Karin was certainly a handful. However much the time was they could spend together, it was going to be interesting.

With that thought, he closed his eyes. His body relaxed, and Toshiro went into the trance that was the angelic equivalent of what humans called sleep.

The first rays of sunlight tickled him. Toshiro opened his eyes. Took a mental check of his condition. His body had healed well, even though he had rested no more than only a couple of hours. That was due to Karin's great job at healing him as well as the innate ability of self-regeneration every angel possessed.

Toshiro glanced down at the still sleeping girl.

,Rest well, Karin. You'll need every ounce of your strenght.'

It was a good thing Isshin was going to excuse Karin from school in a little while. That way, she could recuperate from the previous day and get accustomed to her new reality. Which couldn't be easy for any mortal.

The hours passed. Toshiro waited patiently, holding on to Karin's hand all the while. His senses were spread, on constant lookout for trouble. If any demons were to appear nearby, he was going to sense them. Just as he sensed the members of the Kurosaki household, which was gradually waking up and getting its day underway.

Suddenly, he felt another mind cautiously touching his. After a moment, he recognised Isshin.

,How's Karin?', echoed the other Cherubim's telepathing voice in Toshiro's head. ,Still sleeping.'

,That's good.' A pause. ,Toshiro… thank you for looking over my girl.'

,Don't mention it.'

Ichigo and Yuzu left the house and headed for school. Isshin went over to the clinic, where patient after patient began to arrive.

Finally, at about half past ten, as the alarm clock on the bedside table told him, there was a light twitch from Karin's hand. Toshiro's gaze, having rested on the view outside, instantly flew back to her.

„Finally awake, sleepyhead?"

The blue-winged angel had never taunted other people before, and the words felt strange in his mouth. On the other hand, they also felt so natural.

„T-Toshiro?" Karin sounded very sleepy. She really must have been exhausted.

„Yeah, it's me."

Her eyes opened a bit and met his. For a few moments, there was silence.

„So it wasn't a dream."

That comment actually coaxed a brief laugh from Toshiro, surprising the angel. And oddly enough, he didn't feel uneasy about that reaction in front of Karin. Usually, he was a serious and stern person, and that was the reputation he had. He took care not to laugh too openly or loudly in front of his men. With Karin, it seemed, that was an entire different story.

„No, it wasn't."

The black-haired Japaneses at up and rubbed her eyes.

„Good morning to you."

Toshiro waited patiently as Karin headed for the bathroom to get washed and dressed. Afterwards, he accompanied her down to the dining room, where breakfast stood ready for her.

Giving the area a quick check with his senses, Toshiro confirmed that everything was still the way it should be. In the adjacent clinic, he could sense Isshin and his employées tending to their patients.

Content that everything was fine, the blue-winged angel joined Karin at the table. He didn't need to, as angels had their own kind of nourishment; but as a sign of courtesy, he too took a bowl of rice with a bit of grilled fish and pickled cucumber. He was unused to mortal food, but he actually enjoyed it.

That must've shown, because Karin suddenly broke the silence.

„You like it?", she asked.

Toshiro looked up. Karin had a somewhat bemused smirk on her face.

„In fact I do", he said with as much dignity as he could muster and set down the now empty bowl.

Karin giggled. „Yuzu made all of it. She's amazing like that in the kitchen."

She was still smiling, but that didn't prevent Toshiro from hearing the faintest hint of envy and regret in her voice. However, Toshiro was glad to see her smiling again. After she woke up, she had been so quiet that he had started to get worried for her.

Huh… another sensation he was going to have to get used to.

Having picked up on her reaction before, Toshiro refrained from complimenting Yuzu's cooking further. He guessed that Karin wished she were able to cook as good as her sister – which she apparently did not, judging by her envy.

Instead, he waited patiently until Karin finished up as well. Afterwards, he helped her clear the table. It was a most curious experience. As the high-ranking angel that he was, he would have never even dreamed of performing such lowly work out of his own free will. However, to his astonishment, the mundane task had something relaxing. For a short, while, his mind could get off demons and the heavy burden he carried as consequence of his position.

Once they were done, Karin grabbed a large bottle of water and turned to the white-haired angel.

„Toshiro… can you take me somewhere quiet? I need to clear my head."

Toshiro studied her for a few moments, checking for any signs that she wasn't taking it as well as she seemed to. However, he could sense nothing wrong with her; she probably really needed some fresh air. He nodded.

„As you wish. Let's go."

They walked out the door, and Toshiro scooped Karin up into his arms. To his surprise, it felt as natural as if he had done this his entire life. In actuality, he had only carried a human like this only a handful of times in his millenia old life. And most times, they had been children whose lives he had saved.

The angel opened his wings and took to the air. He would have to do the thinking later. For now, he had to make sure Karin was going to recuperate from the ordeal of the past two days.

A few minutes later, he landed ina park atop one of Karakura Town's hills. As it was Monday morning, the park was sparcely visited.

Toshiro had chosen a small clearing. In it there was a pond, around which a couple of benches stood. Karin sat down on one of them and took a sip of water from the bottle she had brought with her. After a moment of hesitation, Toshiro joined her, taking seat next to her and lifting his wings over the bench's backrest.

The blue-winged angel said nothing. Instead, he let Karin choose her own pace. It was the best thing he could do in this situation. After all, while he knew in how much turmoil she must be, he couldn't really claim to understand how she felt.

,Even after so many years, I guess I'll never understand humans.'

Although, should he keep thinking of Karin as a human, when she actually was a Nephilim? On the other hand, she had grown up a human girl. Toshiro recalled hearing of one or two occasions, in which a Nephilim had learned the truth very early and who had decided to grow up in Heaven and embrace their angelic nature. That, of course, was not an option Karin had.

,She'll have to learn step by step.'

For a while, they sat in silence and simpy enjoyed the peace and quiet. Eventually, Karin seemed to decide she wanted to talk.

„Hey, Toshiro. What's it like to be an angel? What's Heaven like? Have you ever met God?"

He glanced over at her. There was a thoughtfulness in her eyes that he wasn't used to seeing there, but there was also a genuine curiosity in them. That was a good sign, since it meant that the happenings of the previous day hadn't dragger her down too much. Her asking questions meant that she was trying to understand her angelic side, wasn't rejecting it outright.

And so he began to tell her some of what he regarded as fundamental knowledge. Things she would do very well to know if she wanted to make it in the world of angels and demons.

The more he talked, the more it began to feel as if he were teaching a newborn angel. Toshiro found that he actually enjoyed it very much. Could he be a teacher at heart?

Karin herself made him proud by asking the right questions at the right time. Some of those questions proved her sharp mind. The rest of the time, she remained silent and listened attentively.

Toshiro told her as much as he could, leaving out only things that were kept secret for a reason. Karin wasn't a full angel, and it was yet to be decided which of those she was allowed to know. But he wanted to help her as much as possible in making sense of her new world, so he readily volunteered any information he could.

Karin also bombarded Toshiro with questions about her father. What he had been like as a Cherubim, what powers he had possessed.

Toshiro felt his lips curl into a smile at the surfacing memories.

„Your father had been one of the strongest angels I've ever known", the blue-winged angel told Karin. „I wonder if he regained all of that tremendous strenght now… It truly is a shame that he had to go without his powers for so long. But enough of that. Isshin had been a great leader too, a smart tactician and always caring for his subordinates."

There was, in fact, nothing bad to be said about Isshin, except for maybe a habit for laziness. As Toshiro kept narrating, Karin began to radiate a quiet, happy pride. The blue-winged angel deemed that pride warranted. Even if Isshin's disappearance and the terrible uncertainty about his fate had hurt Toshiro deeply, he just couldn't remain angry with the other Cherubim. Deep in his heart, he had known that there must've been a very good reason for it all, and Isshin had revealed exactly that.

„Unbelievable", Karin muttered during a pause in the narration. „To think that's my goofy, yet loveable father… It's almost as if he were a different person."

To that, Toshiro replied nothing. What could he have said anyways?

Before either of them realised, the sun began dipping behind the horizon. The hours had passed at lightning speed. When the light of the setting sun began to turn orange and the shadows were growing longer, Toshiro stood.

„I think we should head back now. You need to get to bed early, for tomorrow you have school again. Besides, isn't it soon time for dinner anyways?"

Karin glanced at her wristwatch. „You're right. Yuzu's probably already cooking. I guess we better get going."

A short flight later, they were back at the Kurosaki's. After a silent exchange with Isshin, Toshiro cast a veil over himself before entering the house. Yuzu was still unaware of the reality of things, and for the time being, Isshin wanted to keep it that way. Two of his three children had been already dragged involuntarily into the dangerous world of angels and demons. And since she was of the same blood as Ichigo and Karin, there might be chance she could be able to see him.

The white-haired angel silently watched as the Kurosaki family enjoyed their dinner. It seemed to be an amusing affair in this household. Isshin was joking and goofing around, with his children reacting in different ways. Karins word came to his mind.

,And she's right. It's as if there were two Isshins. I barely recognise him.'

A short while later, Karin went to bed. This time, she did not ask Toshiro to stay with her, which could have hurt him. However, it was also a sign that she was coping well with the situation.

„Rest well", he advised her. „Tomorrow, your training will begin."

At that, her eyes lit up. Toshiro could sense her excitement. Good. Very good. He had seen Nephilim being afraid of their powers, but the black-haired Kurosaki didn't seem to have that problem.

After Karin bid him good night, the blue-winged angel left the house and settled in its roof. There sat down and spread his senses, keeping watch.

The quiet of the night also set his thoughts into motion. And there was a lot for him to think about. Karin wasn't the only one whose life had changed completely. Since their meeting, Toshiro's had as well. He was feeling things he had never felt before, and he was not yet sure what to make of it. Many of those emotions could be regarded as a weakness, after all.

Fact was, that he and Karin harboured feelings for each other. Wether it was wise for them to enter any kind of relationship was a whole different question. On the other hand, was it even possible for either of them to back out now? Wasn't it too late for that? Because it was also an undeniable fact that their meeting had changed them both. And it seemed pretty much as if there was no returning to how things had been before. Unfortunately, neither of them knew exactly what consequences it would have should they enter a relationship.

,By the Lord, why does it have to be so complicated?'

Toshiro sighed. He could only stay attentive to how the situation developed while fulfilling his promise. For the time being, there was nothing else he could do.

There was a barely audible rustling of feathers. A moment later, Isshin landed next to him. The black wings were mere shadows in the front of the night.

„Hey there, Toshiro."

„Hello, Isshin."

The older Cherubim sat down next to him. After a long while in which both gazed at the moon in the sky above, he said: „You've grown since I've last seen you. Look at you, climbing all the way to leader of your own squadron. I knew you could do it."

„Well, you've been gone for twenty years. In that amount of time, things can change."

„I guess so. Anyhow… I'm glad you and Rangiku are doing so well and are both well. I'm so sorry that my sudden disappearance has caused you two so much grief."

Toshiro threw the other angel a glance. He was somewhat happy that Isshin appared to be his old self, despite all he had gone through.

„You haven't changed at all", he said, a smile tugging at his lips. „So you're a doctor now? Somehow, that fits you pretty well."

Isshin chuckled. „You think so? I'm flattered."

„Say, have all of your powers returned? They've been gone for quite a while."

„Fortunately yes, though they need a little getting used to. At least now I am able to protect my family."

Masaki's name hung in the air. Toshiro felt uneasy, and unsure of what to reply. He had not experienced that kind of loss himself. But he knew what it was like to be helpless. He didn't want to imagine how it must have been for Isshin, noticing everything yet unable to do anything.

„I'm… so sorry, Isshin", he eventually mumbled. „Masaki must have been an extraordinary woman, and certainly would have deserved to live longer than she did."

Isshin's eyes met his. While there was a flicker of sadness in them, there was no anger about the remark.

„Thanks, Toshiro." The black-haired Cherubim's gaze grew serious and intensified. „And thank you also so much for saving Karin and taking care of her. I don't know what I would have done if I lost anyone else."

Toshiro was almost shocked. This was a side to Isshin he had never seen before. To him, the other angel had always been a role model, a pillar of indominable strenght. Now he sounded… vulnerable.

,Is this what emotional bonds can do to you?'

„I didn't know she was your daughter back then", he replied. „But you are very welcome. I am glad I could help."

They settled into silence again. It was an amiable silence, as if the past twenty years had never happened.

„You know, Toshiro… you haven't changed either, inside."

„Sh-shut up", the white-haired angel muttered, trying to hide how flattered he was.

Isshin laughed and stood. „As I said." He opened his wings. „Anyhow. I gotta get some sleep now. My body still needs it; it's been human for too long for it to go without it. See you tomorrow, Toshiro."

„See you tomorrow, Isshin. And take good care of your patients."

A grin. „I always do."

With that, the black-winged angel flapped his wings and returned to the ground. A moment later, Toshiro could hear the front door opening and closing.

He stared up at the night sky. His thoughts were still whirling around the past two days like some maelstrom. But as he gazed at the velvety canvas above, he gradually became his old, calm and collected self again.

,After all, what's the point in freaking out?'

He frowned when he realised that he had already begun to think about how he was going to teach Karin, of what to say and the exercises she was going to have to perform.

,I guess I am actually looking forward to it.'

He lay back down onto the green tiles covering the Kurosaki house's roof. Relaxed his body and his mind until he had entered the state that was sleep for angels. He just remained sufficiently conscience to sense any danger approaching.

,And I am very curious how things will go from here out onward.'


	14. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Returning to school was… strange.

As Karin approached the school gate, the familiar sounds and views of her fellow students, all heading for the same goal, greeted her. A sea of grey uniforms. However, it felt different from before the demon had attacked her. In fact, she felt like an outsider, observing the world around her with detachment.

Sure, the day off had helped her a great deal in getting accustomed to the changed reality. However , it seemed to take a little longer than she had expected. After all, she had learned that angels and demons actually, really, existed. And above all, that her dad, whom she had known her entire life as a loveable goofball, turned out to be an angel too. A fact that still didn't compute in her head.

„Hey, Karin!"

She looked up and saw three of her close friends heading towards her. Karin managed to lift a hand in greeting and smile, though it felt mechanical, even to her.

„Hey guys."

„You feeling well again?", Saki asked. „We heard you had a pretty ad cold."

It took Karin a few moments to catch on. „Oh, yeah, it was pretty bad. And it came out of nowhere. I've been fine on Saturday."

„It's good you recovered so quickly", Anzu remarked. „You haven't missed much. I got the notes and your papers."

„Thanks a lot, Anzu."

Together they continued their way to the school. Saki, Anzu and Himiko joked and laughed, as usual. Karin, however, took barely any notice of it for the very first time. All her energy went into keeping quiet, which turned out to be harder than she imagined. More than ever before, she felt like an outsider, so far away from the others, despite walking right next to them.

„Anybody home? Hey, Earth to Karin!"

„Huh? What? Sorry, I was just… lost in thoughts."

Saki sighed. „Boy, you must have had a real bad cold if you're still so affected. Well, I've asked if you are ready for the test next week."

„Test?" It took Karin a couple of seconds until her mind set into motion. „Ah, you mean the physics exam next Monday."

„Yeah."

„Well…" Karin tapped her finger against her chin. „I do feel confident enough."

„Himiko and I thought it would be great if we could have a last learning session before the exam", Saki explained. „There are still parts we struggle with."

„I'm in", Anzu added. „More learning can only get you better grades."

„It sure can't hurt. Alright, I'm in, too. When did you want to do it?"

„If you're free, we wanted to meet at my place on Saturday afternoon", Saki replied.

Karin nodded. „I'll have to check with my family this evening, but I think it should be no problem."

She had no reservations about making this concession. Surely neither Toshiro nor her dad would have anything against her skipping a training session for learning and working for her future.

„Great!" Himiko clapped her hands excitedly. „We're so gonna learn our butts off and have a great time afterwards! Why don't we watch a nice movie to reward ourselves for our hard work?"

As the conversation returned to mundane things again, Karin's mind wandered off again. It came as a little shock that she couldn't tell wether she was looking forward to spending time with the others or not. One thing was for certain: She could never again look at things the same way as she had before. At any other time, she might have gladly joined the others in their conversation. Now, however, there were other things occupying her mind.

As they approached the school gate, a flash of blue caught Karin's attention. When she looked, she just caught a glimpse of a blue feather before it dissolved into glittering dust. A smile appeared on her lips. Toshiro must be watching over her. And true enough, when she concentrated a little, she could sense his energy.

,Ice statue…'

She looked up, but there was no trace of the white-haired angel on the azure sky. Still, knowing that he was with her had something calming. Karin felt now confident that she could get through the day.

Nevertheless, it passed with the same sense of detachment she had felt from the start. It seemed a miracle Karin could concentrate on any of the lessons. Keeping quiet about such a large secret required a whole lot of energy. During lunch, she even had trouble getting down a single bite. Whenever the struggle threatened to become overwhelming, she reached out and took some strenght from his presence. Luckily, that helped a lot.

It only changed after school was finished. She didn't waste any time, bid her friends a good day and hurried out of the classroom. As Karin was on her way home, excitement about the upcoming training session with Toshiro. Luckily, the teachers hadn't given them a whole lot of homework. In about three quarters of a hour, Karin supposed she could get it done.

At home, it turned out that Yuzu had not yet returned. Dad was still in the clinic. Instead, when she entered her room, she found a certain white-haired angel waiting, sitting comfortably on her bed.

„Welcome back."

„Hey, Toshiro."

„How was your day?"

For a moment, Karin wasn't certain how he meant that question. Then she felt a grin spread her lips.

„You already know, ice statue. So why do you still ask?"

That drew an indignant huff from the angel. „It's Toshiro, not ice statue. And I just wanted to be curteous."

That managed to coax a short chuckle from Karin. „Got it, got it. Now then, let me get over this homework so we can get started on my training."

„Sure, sure. I'll be on the roof, keeping watch."

„Thanks. I'll call you when I'm done with homework."

The blue-winged angel nodded, spread his wings and, taking on an ethereal form, vanished through the wall.

Karin kept true to her word and got to work. At some point, Yuzu came home and asked her about dinner. The black-haired Kurosaki asked her sister to leave something aside for her, as she had to go out again soon. Yuzu cocked her head to one side questioningly, but didn't argue.

It took Karin a little longer until she was finished with her homework. But after almost an hour, she yelled a goodbye at Yuzu, who was in the kitchen, and stormed out of the house.

Before she even had time to call, she heard the familiar rustling of feathers. Toshiro swooped down from the sky and landed ever so elegantly next to her.

„So you're done?"

„Yeah. And ready to roll."

Knowing herself, Karin had imagined she'd be dead tired bynow, after such a day. But she wasn't. Instead, she felt eager to take on whatever Toshiro might throw at her. In fact, her every fiber seemed to brim with energy.

„That's good." The briefest of smiles flashed across Toshiro's face. „Last night, I spotted a good place for our intentions."

When he told her where it was, Karin cocked her head slightly to the right. „But that's rather far."

„No worries", the angel replied. „We'll fly."

„What?"

Before she knew it, she was already in Toshiro's arms and soaring through the air.

Karin's heart stopped for a few beats. She had flown in his arms before, but as she had spent her entire life on the ground, it was still an exhilarating experience. But that was not the only thing that made her heart beating at twice the speed.

Toshiro's sudden closeness stirred a kind of nervousness in Karin that was new to her. Sure, she knew Toshiro cared for her… but did he care the same way she did for him? She had no idea. What she knew was that she couldn't do anything against the butterflies in her stomach.

Why now? When she had been close to Toshiro before, it hadn't been a problem. Then again, with all that had happened… she had probably been way too occupied with everything to notice her own feelings.

,But… he's an angel. I can't possibly be with him, right? Certainly he's also hundreds of times older than me.'

The future was still uncertain. And Karin still felt so adrift, like a leaf in the wind, not knowing where it might carry her. Within one day, her entire view of the world had been completely shattered and pieced together again - only different that before.

However… with Toshiro at her side, she felt she could brave anything coming her way.

Karin didn't know what was going to happen between her and the blue-winged angel from here on out. But he gave her a feeling of being protected nobody had given her before. He was like a rock amidst a stormy sea to which she could cling. That certainty was her one anchor right now.

After a couple of minutes, Toshiro touched down in the small park he had told her about. Karin hadn't paid attention to it the first time, but now she could see that he must be a quite the elegant and powerful flyer.

,I wish I could fly like that.'

Before meeting Toshiro and the other angels, Karin had never given a lot of thought about flying, leave alone with own wings. But having seen Toshiro and the others move through the air the way they did had woken in her a wish she could it too.

The best part? According to her father, it was possible she might get wings as well one day. She hoped it was going to be sooner than later.

She looked around. The park was small and in the outskirts of Karakura Town. However, it was full of trees which provided protection from unwanted eyes. And if anyone was going to come near them, Toshiro was going to sense them in time.

„Sit down and make yourself comfortable", the blue-winged angel told her. „I just erected a barrier that shields our energies from leaking out and drawing unwanted visitors in. We're good to go."

Karin obeyed and sat down into the grass cross-legged. She was more attentive that she ever was at school. When she gave a quick glance around, she saw several shimmering spots, which must be the barrier the white-haired angel mentioned. Other than that, there was nothing to see of it.

Toshiro paced to and fro, apparently gathering his thoughts.

„Before we start the actual training", he eventually said, „there are a few other things we have to discuss first." He stopped and his piercing, turquoise eyes fixed on her. „You have adapted quickly and well to the circumstances. However, I still need to ask you: Do you really want to become a Nephilim?"

„What exactly do you mean?"

Karin hadn't at all expected that question. Luckily, Toshiro was quick to explain.

„The life of a Nephilim is never easy. Just the contrary, it is wrought with many dangers. Because they live on Earth, where demons are free to roam, they are under constant threat of being attacked. Also, Nephilim are usually alone. And even if there are siblings, it is rare that there are more than two Nephilim to one couple. You're lucky to have two strong warriors in your father and brother at your side. Usually, Nephilim aren't so lucky. Still… there will be hardships coming your way from here on out. And it would be that way even if weren't Aizen we're dealing with here. With him, we never know what he'll be up to next. That aside, there are enough demons not under his command that would love to devour you and your energy. I'm telling you this not to scare you off, but because I need you to be aware of the full extent of your decision before you take it."

„And… what if I don't want to live as a Nephilim?"

Karin just had to ask. Sure, what he had told her did sound scary, and certainly made her nervous. But she was no quitter. Regardless, she wanted to know what the other option was.

„Since your powers, albeit big, are new and immature, I'll be able to seal them away permanently."

That thought sent a shiver down Karin's spine. Even though she had awoken her powers only two days ago, she had grown accustomed to their flaming presence, like a fire in her soul. They had become a part of her, one she was as unwilling to part with as she would be with an arm or a leg.

And there was more. Karin thought of her brother, who unbeknownst to her or Yuzu, had apparently fought hard battles against demons. Of her father, who had been a high-ranking angel, battling the forces of evil with his soldiers. Of sweet, innocent Yuzu, who was still blissfully oblivious to the truth. Of her friends, who were equally unaware and wouldn't even know what hit them if they were attacked by demons.

No. She couldn't let them down, no matter how tempting it was to turn away such dangerous a life. She was going to help her father and brother in shouldering their burden. She was going to protect Yuzu and her friends.

With a new sense of determination, Karin stared into the blue-winged angel's eyes.

„I'm ready to do this", she declared. „No matter how dangerous or hard it gets."

Toshiro lifted an eyebrow, which Karin interpreted him being mildly impressed. He nodded.

„Very well. In that case, we shall commence your training." He resumed his pacing. „The first thing you need to learn is control over that power inside of you. It comes natural to us angels, we have already a firm grip on it from the moment we come into being. That's different for Nephilim like you, who often spend years unaware of their power." He paused. „It's lucky yours didn't get out of control when you unleased it yesterday. If not under firm control, it can destroy the wielder just as likely as the intended target. I've seen it happen to another Nephilim once – it wasn't pretty at all. That's why you must never attempt any experiments with your power until you control them completely. Is that clear?"

The last sentence sounded sharper than those before. It told Karin that Toshiro wasn't joking about it, and that there must be real danger. She was going to be cautious, that was for sure. She nodded to show him she understood. „Got it."

„Good." He looked around, then picked up something from the ground three steps away. Returning to Karin, he sat down opposite of her and continued. „That's why we begin with a very basic exercise." He handed her a stone as big as her fist. „What I want you to do now is to lift this stone with the power of your will alone. This exercise is great for learning control over one's power without putting anyone at harm."

Karin stared at the stone in her hand. If somebody had asked that of her just two days ago, she would have laughed. Hard. After what she had experienced in that short period of time, however, she knew that it was possible.

„Go on, try it", the blue-winged angel encourage her.

Her eyes still on the stone, Karin tried to focus on it. She recalled what Rangiku had told her about tapping into her power. In her mind, she pictured the stone hovering in the air above her hand. Then she tried to summon the energy that gloomed inside her like a little sun.

Nothing happened.

With a sense of disappointment, Karin looked at the angel. He nodded.

„As I suspected."

„Care to enlighten me?"

Toshiro gave her a faint smile. „It's usually not easy for a Nephilim to tap into their angelic powers. The more time they live as normal humans, the harder it gets. When you used yours during that battle, it seems to have been a purely instinctive reaction. Now, you just need patience and practice."

„That's good to hear. I got the practice part down." Karin frowned down at the stone. „Patience might be a problem though. I'm not a particularly patient person."

„You'll manage", Toshiro said in nonchalant confidence. „Patience is learnable."

„If you say so, ice statue."

She couldn't help that little jab. In almost child-like glee, she noticed his eyebrow and the corners of his mouth twitch.

„Anyhow", the angel continued nonchalantly, „that's why I'm here to help. Close your eyes."

Karin did that.

„Good. Now, forget the stone for the moment. Focus on that energy inside you. Feel it. Picture it the way you feel it."

Karin tried again. In front of her eyes, she saw the little sun, that warm ball inside her. Imagined that warmth spreading throughout her body, like blood in veins. And sure enough, a tingling sensation began to wander from her center into every part of her body.

„Keep it up", she heard Toshiro's calm voice. „Now, picture what you want to do with the stone and send your energy into it."

Again she summoned an image of the hovering stone. However, as soon as she did, the sensation of flowing energy vanished.

„Crap!"

„Relax. It's natural for beginners to struggle. Don't you humans have a saying? Rome wasn't built in one day? Don't worry; the more you practice, the more natural this part will become."

It was somewhat adorable, hearing such a powerful being throwing a human saying at her like that. It helped her quenching her annoyance about the little progress she made and brought a little normality into all this un-normality.

She sighed.

„I guess you're right. And yeah, that's how the saying goes. I guess I'll keep trying, then."

And keep trying she did. Luckily, it turned out that it didn't take her long until the energy didn't dissipate anymore as soon as she pictured the stone.

The bad news was, that the stone started floating, but it took about two or three seconds until the energy vanished yet again.

„Come on!", she let slip. „Keep hovering, you stupid rock!"

Toshiro lifted an eyebrow, and immediately, Karin felt bad for her outburst.

„My, you weren't lying. You really ARE impatient", the blue-winged angel remarked.

Karin sighed. „I can't help it. I just always want results immediately. But that won't do me any good here, will it?"

„Not in the slightest", he agreed. „Perhaps this'll help: Look at it like hurdles or steps you have to take one by one."

The black-haired girl thought about that. „I guess I can try. It sounds like a great idea."

She got back to work. And indeed, Toshiro's advice helped her to gradually calm down, even if it took her many attempts to reach her goal.

Time lost all sense to her. It passed in a blur. She barely noticed when the sun set and the streetlamps in the park went on. But with the angel's calm guidance, she finally did it.

There, in the dim light of the street lamp, the stone hovered a couple of centimeters above her palm, and stayed there when she took the hand away.

With a grin, she turned to Toshiro. „Did you see that?!"

The white-haired angel smiled quietly and nodded. „I do. Well done, Karin."

She let herself fall backwards into the grass. She felt suddenly exhausted as if she had been running for an hour or so. A glance at her watch told her that she had been at it for two and a half hours.

„Is using one's power always this straining? I hope not. It sure didn't seem the way when you angels fought off those demons."

„That's just because you're not used to it. Yes, the inner energy is linked to the body, which is why it will be very exhausting for you especially now at the beginning. But you'll get used to it, and the more time passes, the less exhausted you'll get."

„I see…"

„Let's call it a day", Toshiro said and extended a hand to her. Karin accepted it and let herself be pulled to her feet. „Tomorrow, we'll continue."

„Sounds great to me."

She was asleep even before they had reached their house.

They settled into a daily routine. Whenever Karin had no soccer training, she would do homework and learn for an hour, then get flown by Toshiro to the park where they would continue their training.

She gained ever better control over her powers. Despite that, the exercise remained the same, only that the stones got bigger and bigger. Two months passed, and Karin had to keep back an ever growing impatience. She wanted to proceed, and faster. However, she also trusted Toshiro that he knew what he was doing. If he deemed it necessary that she kept on practicing with stones, it was probably for a reason.

That way, six weeks passed before Toshiro began to show her other things she could do.

On that day, he conjured a candle out of thin air and explained: „We've already seen that you have an affinity for fire. I'll show you how you can summon it."

He swiped his hand through the air above the candle and suddenly, it was lit, the flame dancing merrily.

„Wait", Karin said and frowned, confused. „I thought your powers were ice."

„They are. However, angels have control over every element to a certain degree. Usually, though, they are masters only of the one they have an affinity for."

„I get it."

„Fire is the wildest of the four elements", Toshiro continued. „It's the one that takes the longest to truly master. It's destructive – but it is also alive, and as important as the other three. Fire brings warmth and light."

They started with daily meditations. The blue-winged angel told her to listen deeply within her, until she could hear the fire's voice. At first, Karin was suspicious, but she did as she was told. It took only a couple of days until she found out what he had meant.

The fire was there. Blazing quietly inside her, an inextinguishable flame. Calling her with a voice like a fire crackling in a hearth, whispering her name.

„Very good", she heard Toshiro's voice and she opened her eyes. Karin was used by now that he was able to sense what her energy was doing. Which was practical, since it spared time-consuming explanation and made things a lot easier in general.

He next day, they went on to the next step. Karin learned to channel the fire enough light a candle. For there, she progressed to more and more difficult feats.

When Karin had gained a fairly good grip on the basics, at least according to Toshiro, he began a daily routine of workout exercises with her. Just fifteen minutes in the morning and fifteen in the evening – and only when she got no soccer training – but the results soon showed. At first, with the large amount of stuff she had to do, Karin was often exhausted by the time she went to bed. Both physically and mentally. But as time passed, that changed.

She had no idea what was going on or how Toshiro managed to do it, but every day, she felt stronger and stronger. She got used to her new daily routine. And her body adapted as well.

At some point, Ichigo joined their training. He always brought three bokken with him, and that was when Karin began to learn swordplay.

She marveled at how strong her brother actually was. Sometimes, it was him sparring against Toshiro. When they did, their fights turned into a whirlwind of blades and wings, almost too fast to follow with the eyes.

And she had never even known.

On her, he was stern, but not overly hard. Karin knew that if he went all out, she would not stand a chance. Not yet, at least. But under his and Toshiro's guidance, she progressed very quickly.

From Ichigo, she also learned that apparently, Nephilim and angels could choose whether to make their wings visible to others or not. Karin, curious why she saw Ichigo sometimes with, sometimes without wing, had asked him about that. Another very interesting fact worth remembering for later.

Before Karin realized, half a year had passed.

One evening, after another hard training exercise, she lay in her bed and marveled at how much she brimmed with energy, despite her feeling a little exhausted. Exercising was still exercising. When she had asked Toshiro about it, he had explained that Nephilim had more resilient, stronger bodies than normal humans, due to their angelic parentage. It seemed only logical to Karin. One parent being an angel was bound to have an impact.

One thing Karin had been very excited about was to learn telepathic communication. When Toshiro revealed to her that he'd show her how to do it one evening, she got almost downright giddy with joy.

To her surprise, it came as easy as breathing to her. When she asked Toshiro about it, he explained with a brief smile that it was mostly due to her having a good grasp of her powers, which helped a lot with telepathy.

„Man, I wish everyone could speak telepathically", she said that evening as they were flying home. „It's so practical and saves a lot of time."

He just smiled silently at that comment.

And then came the day Toshiro finally taught her how to summon her own sword.

After landing in the clearing, the blue-winged angel turned to her with an unusual seriousness. Sure, he was serious all the time, but that day, he seemed to be even more so. More serious than Karin had ever seen him after that battle.

„Today, I want you to be extra attentive."

„Sure thing."

Something about his words and tone made her tense inside. She knew that whatever he was going to show her today was going to be something big. And if she learned something during the past months, it was that angelic powers were no laughing matter and to be taken seriously. If not handled correctly, they could hurt the user as much as the intended target.

Toshiro stretched out his hand, and in a flurry of cold wind and ice, his sword materialized in it.

„Today, I'll show you how to summon your own weapon."

Karin stared at the shimmering blade with wide eyes.

,So the day has finally come, huh?'

It was a day Karin had looked forward to with excitement, an excitement that stemmed from mixed feelings. The blue-winged angel had already explained to her that the ability to summon a weapon was something that Nephilim always inherited from their angelic parent. Karin, who had never held a weapon of any kind in her hand, had been accordingly nervous. She had seen the devastating power of an angelic blade. At times, she was a little afraid of the prospect to one day having to go against such monsters as Toshiro and his angels had battled. But then she remembered Yuzu, all her other friends who had no clue about the truth, her father, and Ichigo, who had been fighting to protect them all.

,It's the point of the training, no?', she told herself. ,To become strong enough to protect Yuzu, and to help brother and father to protect them all.'

This conviction was the only thing that prevented her from giving in to her fear. Not that she'd admit to anyone that she was afraid. There was still her reputation she had to uphold. Toshiro may call her brave, but she couldn't count the times she had inwardly quivered with fear.

However, when she recalled her purpose, she knew she could endure.

Diligently, she listened to every word Toshiro said and did what he told her to.

„Summoning your weapon is similar to tapping into your powers", he explained. „Except for the first time, which requires a little more work. Aside from their magical nature, angelic blades are unlike any human swords."

„How so?"

„Angelic blades are an inherent part of an angel's power." He gave a light flap with his wings. „That's why every Nephilim can summon one too. However, they need to be… forged, first."

„Forged?" Karin's stomach seemed to sink. „But… I have not the slightest clue about smithing."

An amused smile flickered across his face.

„Perhaps I have chosen the wrong word. Angelic swords aren't forged in a smithy. They're forged, created, with the mind."

„Oh…"

Her cheeks grew warm. Somehow, this faux-pas embarrassed her. After so much time in the company of angels and learning how to use her powers, she should have figured as much.

Toshiro didn't seem bothered. „Close your eyes", he instructed her.

She did that.

„Now picture the fire inside you, just like when you learned how to control it."

The image of the roaring flame came quickly to Karin. In the past months, she had become finely tuned to it. The fire still whispered to her, but never threatened to get out of control anymore. In fact, at times, like now, it took the shape of a bird. A phoenix, as she'd come to realize.

„Good. Now shape it into the form of a sword."

This part was not so easy. It was as if the phoenix was resisting her.

,Stupid bird', she thought as the effort made her go a little out of breath. ,Now get into the shape of a sword already!'

How long it had taken her in the end, she had no idea. She only knew that she felt as if having run at least five marathons in a row. The struggle against the phoenix took everything out of her. But then the flame in front of her eyes finally took the shape of a sword, vanished in a flash of blinding light and a small rush of energy and reappeared in her right hand. And she knew it had been worth it.

Karin stared at the blade in wonder. It was a typical Japanese katana, just like the swords of the other angels. The handle was wrapped with dark red fabric, and even the blade seemed to have a faint, red shimmer to it. The light danced on it in a peculiar, fascinating way.

It was… a beautiful weapon.

It's weight was not entirely unfamiliar, since they had trained with wooden bokken. However, this sword was a bit heavier. Despite that, when Karin gave a slow, tentative swing, she was amazed how well balanced it felt. Or at least she thought it was. She had never held a proper sword in her hand, leave alone learned fighting with it. She had never even touched a true weapon of any kind. But holding this unfamiliar, threatening weight in her hand… it gave her a whole new sense of power.

„This is… amazing", she murmured, before letting herself fall into the grass. She was downright pumped out. She hadn't felt this exhausted since the beginning of her training. Her breath was still heavy, her heart still racing. But then again, this was an angelic blade. Figured it wouldn't be easy to obtain.

Toshiro gave her another rare smile, and Karin thought she could see pride glitter in his eyes.

„Well done", he said. „You really seem a natural at this."

„Will I always get this winded when I summon it? Didn't seem the case with you guys."

„No. It was only this first time, because you had to forge your fire into it. From now on, summoning it will be as natural as breathing."

Where had she heard that before…

„Let's wrap up for today. Tomorrow, I'll start teaching all the intricacies of fighting with an angelic blade." Toshiro opened his wings. „I don't need to tell you to be careful and refrain from experiments, right?"

„Of course not!" Karin was indignant. „What do you take me for?!"

„Just wanted to… make sure."

The little hesitation made it clear he had probably wanted to say something else. Karin let it slip – this time. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and together, they soared into the night sky.

And as they flew, a peculiar question came to Karin.

Why were the swords of angels always Japanese katanas?

Author's note:

Finally. It. Is. DONE! *falls flat onto the ground in exhaustion*

Omigod, was this chapter a tough one. I apologize for the incredibly long wait. But aside from real world things getting in my way, I also had a hard time writing this. I don't know why. I guess I struggled to try and portray Karin's training as good as possible. Without getting too fanfictiony or cheesy. Without getting into too much detail. Thing is, I really wanted to portray the training from Karin's point of view. I couldn't be any other way, right? It would just be somehow wrong to show it from Toshiro's eyes. And also, in that way, we would never know how she felt, what she thought when learning all those new crazy skills.

Phew, I really hope that this chapter is anything good. I really don't know. The pacing was rather tricky, too. Oh well… I tried. I hope that the result was worth the long wait. n.n" Chapter 12 is mostly done too, should have it done by next week. As for chapter 13… yikes. I have another point where I'm struggling again. -.- I hope that I'll get over it very soon. If anything, this story shows me how hard writing can really be. Especially long stories

Am looking forward to your comments and critiques.

Read ya!


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